HM Treasury

Loans: Interest Rates

Toby Perkins: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of people who have had loans approved at the advertised representative APR rates for loan products.

Toby Perkins: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Financial Conduct Authority on the number of customers offered loans at a higher rate than that advertised by UK financial institutions.

Stephen Barclay: The Government has fundamentally reformed regulation of the consumer credit market, transferring regulatory responsibility from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in April 2014. This more robust regulatory system is helping to deliver the Government’s vision for a well-functioning and sustainable consumer credit market which is able to meet consumers’ needs. Treasury ministers and officials meet regularly with the FCA to discuss relevant regulatory issues. The Government does not hold the requested estimate, but the FCA’s rules require firms to reasonably expect that in at least 51% of credit agreements entered into as a result of a promotion, credit will be provided to the consumer at the representative APR or lower. The FCA’s rules also require firms to ensure that their communications and financial promotions are fair, clear and not misleading. The FCA is able to impose tough sanctions, such as banning products, imposing unlimited fines and ordering firms to pay money back to customers, where wrongdoing is found.

Taxation: Electronic Government

Stephen Timms: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect on (a) administration processes and (b) tax take of increasing the making tax digital threshold applicable from 2020 to the level of the personal allowance.

Mel Stride: In the Written Ministerial Statement on 13 July, the Government made clear that only businesses with a turnover above the VAT threshold (currently £85,000) will be mandated to use Making Tax Digital from April 2019, and then only to meet their VAT obligations. The Government also confirmed that Making Tax Digital will not be widened before it has been shown to work well, and then not before April 2020 at the earliest.

Taxation: Electronic Government

Stephen Timms: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 9026, on taxation: electronic government, what the eligibility criteria will be to establish which businesses will be entitled to free software in order to meet their income tax obligations as part of the Making Tax Digital pilot phase.

Mel Stride: The eligibility criteria for free software under the Making Tax Digital proposals is set out in Annex C of the document covering the relationship between HMRC and software developers. The document can be found at : https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/making-tax-digital-software-suppliers-terms-of-collaboration/terms-of-collaboration-between-hm-revenue-and-customs-and-software-developers

Private Rented Housing

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of homes bought as buy to let in January to June (a) 2016 and (b) 2017.

Stephen Barclay: Data from UK Finance shows that the number of UK homes bought as buy-to-let between January and June 2016 was 63,800, and the number of UK homes bought as buy-to-let between January and June 2017 was 36,300. A significant increase in buy-to-let transaction volumes occurred in March 2016. This preceded changes to Stamp Duty Land Tax, which introduced a 3% surcharge on purchases of Buy-to-Let properties.

Mineworkers' Pension Scheme

Chris Williamson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much the average pension payment from the Mineworkers Pension Scheme has been in the last 12 months; and how many such payments amount to less than (a) £10, (b) £20 and (c) £50 per week.

Elizabeth Truss: The Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme is administered by the Scheme’s Trustees. Therefore, the Department does not hold this information. Requests such as this should be directed to the Scheme’s Trustees.

Occupational Pensions: Tax Allowances

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of providing the 20 per cent tax relief to non-taxpayers enrolled in net-pay-arrangement defined contribution pension schemes on the same basis as is provided in relief-at-source schemes; and how many people are not benefiting from that relief.

Stephen Barclay: No estimate has been carried out on the cost of providing tax relief for non-taxpayers enrolled in net-pay schemes. Legislation determines the difference between net-pay and relief-at-source systems, and ultimately, it is for pension schemes to choose which to apply. To help employers choose an appropriate pension scheme, The Pensions Regulator offers guidance, including information on the different methods by which tax incentives are obtained.

Treasury: Temporary Employment

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 7983, on Treasury: temporary employment, for what reasons his Department does not have a resource board.

Andrew Jones: HMT conducts an annual business planning round and the Executive Management Board delegates budgets and headcount targets to Directors. Within these constraints, Directors are free to make their own resourcing decisions, including whether to make use of temporary staff. Historically, the use of temporary staff has been very low in HMT.

Financial Services: EU Action

Hilary Benn: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether existing contracts that underpin cross-border financial transactions within the EU of financial institutions based in the UK will continue to be valid when the UK has left the EU.

Stephen Barclay: The Government continues to work with the Bank of England and Financial Conduct Authority to assess how the UK’s exit from the EU could impact financial services firms, and is alive to the risk that the UK’s withdrawal could in some cases create legal uncertainties regarding the status of existing cross-border financial services contracts. As noted in the record of its meeting on 20 September 2017, these and other issues that the Financial Policy Committee (FPC) have identified pose risks to the provision of financial services in both the European Union and the United Kingdom. The FPC also highlighted in its June Financial Stability Report the risk of market fragmentation as the UK leaves the EU, which could result in higher costs and greater risks for both EU and UK companies and households. There is a shared interest for both the UK and the EU in ensuring that we avoid outcomes that impose unnecessary costs and disruption to UK and EU individuals and businesses as the UK leaves the EU.

Telecommunications: Non-domestic Rates

Stephen Kerr: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what Barnet consequentials arise from the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Relief from Non-domestic Rates) Bill for (a) Scotland, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland.

Elizabeth Truss: Barnett consequentials for the years covered by the 2015 Spending Review arising from the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Relief from Non-domestic Rates) Bill are set out below. £ million2017-182018-192019-20Scottish Government0.30.61.0Welsh Government0.20.30.6Northern Ireland Executive0.10.20.3

Treasury: Pay

Philip Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many of his Department's staff had a pay increase (a) above one per cent, (b) at one per cent and (c) less than one per cent in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Andrew Jones: This PQ can only be responded to fully at a disproportionate cost as data held includes other salary increases (e.g. promotion increases) besides the annual pay award increases. The annual pay awards for the delegated grades (i.e. below Senior Civil Service) have been applied in accordance with HM Treasury pay guidance that restricts increases in paybill to an average of one per cent across all staff. Over the last few years, the department has targeted pay awards so that lower paid staff receive higher awards than those at the top of pay ranges. The annual pay arrangements for the Senior Civil Service are based on the outcomes of the Senior Salaries Review Body Report and the Government’s response to its recommendations. The arrangements are applied centrally by Cabinet Office. Over the last three years, pay awards for HM Treasury senior civil servants have based on their performance and their position in the pay range. Overall, an average award of 1% has applied to this group of staff, in each year.

Pay

Alex Norris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 24 July 2017 to Question HL1074, if he will publish figures for the estimated differential between public and private sector pay when employer pension contributions are excluded.

Elizabeth Truss: Analysis conducted by HM Treasury shows that on average, when including employer pension contributions, there is a public sector pay premium of about 10%, and excluding employer pension contributions, public and private sector pay is, on average, now around the same level.

Treasury: Devolution

Stephen Kerr: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the dates were of the most recent meetings between Ministers from his Department and their counterparts in the devolved administrations; and what the dates are of the next planned meetings.

Elizabeth Truss: HM Treasury ministers have discussions with representatives from the devolved administrations on a regular basis on matters of importance to the economies of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the UK.

Tax Evasion

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many UK nationals have (a) been prosecuted and (b) received a prison sentence for offences related to the Panama Papers data leak.

Mel Stride: Since the last update to Parliament in November 2016, HMRC has tripled the number of criminal and civil investigations linked to the Panama papers.To date, the work of the Panama Papers Taskforce has led to civil and criminal investigations into 66 individuals for suspected tax evasion, including high net worth individuals. As part of this HMRC has made four arrests; and carried out six interviews under caution.Taskforce partners have made three arrests in relation to an organised crime group suspected of a £125m conspiracy to defraud pension investors, tax evasion and associated money laundering. They have also identified leads relevant to a major insider trading operation, in relation to which a number of individuals have been arrested and are on bail pending further activity.UK law enforcement continues to interrogate and exploit Panama Papers related data, identifying previously unknown individuals, companies and properties, making links between them and providing intelligence and investigative opportunities.The systems used to launder money and evade tax through offshore structures are complex and highly sophisticated. The Joint Financial Analysis Centre and HMRC’s expert analysts are using leading-edge technology to unpick these structures and trace them back to individuals. This work is painstaking and forensic and there are no easy shortcuts.HMRC is not a prosecuting authority. Its focus is on building the strongest possible cases in order to secure convictions, and it expects to refer cases to the prosecuting authorities from autumn 2017 onwards.

Financial Services: Advisory Services

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to establish limited liability for independent financial advisors with the introduction of a fixed 15-year long-stop.

Stephen Barclay: The Government supports the recommendation in the recent Financial Advice Market Review (FAMR) against the introduction of a fixed 15-year long-stop. A fixed 15-year long-stop is not in the interests of consumers as it could limit the protection available on long-term investment products, where consumers may not realise they have a cause for complaint for more than 15 years. It is important that consumers can seek redress where it is due, so that they have the confidence to engage with financial services firms.

Instalment Credit

Nick Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations his Department has received on rent-to-own goods; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Financial Conduct Authority on rent-to-own goods.

Stephen Barclay: Treasury ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. This includes regular meetings with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to discuss relevant regulatory issues. The Government transferred the regulation of consumer credit to the FCA in 2014. The Government welcomes the ongoing work of the FCA to review the high-cost credit market, including the rent-to-own sector. The Chancellor will not be making a statement at this time.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Chris Ruane: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much funding the Government has (a) given and (b) undertaken to provide to car manufacturers in each region of the UK in each of the last two years.

Elizabeth Truss: There are numerous public funds that go towards supporting the automotive sector, including research and development, regional growth funds, local growth funds and skills funding. We do not collect data on overall spending by region.

Public Houses: Non-domestic Rates

Steve McCabe: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has assessed the potential merits of increasing annual business rates relief for pubs.

Mel Stride: Spring Budget 2017 announced a £435m package to support businesses facing the steepest increases in business rates bills following the revaluation, which included a £1,000 business rates discount for pubs with a rateable value of up to £100,000 for 1 year from April 2017. In addition, pubs could benefit from the £110m support for small businesses and £300m for local authorities to support individual hard cases in their local area. This is on top of the £3.6bn transitional relief scheme and cuts in business rates announced at Budget 2016 costing nearly £9bn over the next five years.

Advance Pricing Agreements

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2017 to Question 70304, how many Advance Thin Capitalisation agreements were made in (a) 2014-15, (b) 2015-16 and (c) 2016-17; how long it took to reach each such agreement; how many such agreements are still in force; how many intra-group company bodies those agreements apply to; and what the average level of taxable profits was for those agreements.

Mel Stride: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has published Advance Thin Capitalisation Agreement (ATCA) statistics to 2016/17, as part of a wider publication of data relating to HMRC’s work on collecting tax owed to the UK. This is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/635330/Transfer_Pricing_and_Diverted_Profits_Tax_statistics.pdf

Revenue and Customs: Buildings

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the Government plans to respond to the Public Accounts Committee report on the HM Revenue and Customs Estate, published on 28 April 2017.

Mel Stride: Due to the June Election, Queen’s Speech and Ministerial and Select Committee appointments, the Government’s response to this report has been rescheduled and will be laid before Parliament (as Treasury Minutes) on 19 October 2017.

Treasury: Cycling

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many civil servants in his Department made use of a cycle-to-work scheme in each of the last five years.

Andrew Jones: The table below shows the number of staff in the core-Department who made use of the cycle-to-work scheme in each of the last five years. Year20132014201520162017No. of staff4731465645

National Insurance Contributions

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many employees received national insurance relief for employment allowance in (a) 2014-15, (b) 2015-16 and (c) 2016-17.

Mel Stride: The Employment Allowance provides eligible employers with a reduction of up to £3,000 a year on their employer’s National Insurance contributions (NICs). This is a relief on employer’s rather than employee NICs; the allowance does not give employees national insurance relief. Details on the employers that benefit from the Employment Allowance can be found in HMRC’s Employment Allowance take-up publication, found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/employment-allowance-take-up-statistics. In particular, table 6 provides a summary of Employment Allowance take-up by employer size.

Overseas Visitors: VAT

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much VAT has been refunded to visitors to the UK in each of the last five years.

Mel Stride: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not hold information on VAT to this level of detail. The Retail Export scheme is operated and administered by the participating retailers. Retailers do not separately identify retail exports on their VAT returns so HMRC does not hold any record of the actual VAT refunds made. In a 2013 consultation document VAT: Retail Export Scheme, HMRC estimated that, in the UK, more than £300 million of VAT is refunded under the VAT Retail Export Scheme each year. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/209487/20130627_Consultation_document_1_0_complete.pdf (Paragraph 2.4)

Patents: Tax Allowances

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much and to who the annual tax reliefs have been granted under the Patent-Box scheme.

Mel Stride: The latest National Statistics on usage of the Patent Box were published on 14 September and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/643860/Patent_Box_Statistics_2014-15.pdf

Migrant Workers

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on employers of increasing the immigration skills charge levied on migrant workers.

Elizabeth Truss: The Migration Advisory Committee consulted with employers on implementing the charge in 2015; the published report is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/migration-advisory-committee-mac-review-tier-2-migration

Treasury: Chief Scientific Advisers

Chi Onwurah: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department will appoint a Chief Science Adviser.

Norman Lamb: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to appoint a Chief Scientific Adviser.

Elizabeth Truss: HM Treasury is committed to ensuring that we access the very best scientific expertise. The Director for the Enterprise and Growth Unit, who is responsible for public science funding, acts as HM Treasury’s Chief Scientific Adviser, working closely with the Government Office for Science and the wider network of scientific advisers. In addition, the Second Permanent Secretary is a member of the Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology.

Office for Budget Responsibility

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans the Government has to allow HM Opposition access to the Office for Budget Responsibility.

Stephen Barclay: The Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) remit is set out in the Budget Responsibility and National Audit Act 2011 which prevents it from assessing alternatives to stated government policy. Extending the OBR’s remit to cover alternative policies risks drawing the OBR into political controversy and diverting it from an already difficult task. The Government’s approach is in line with the recommendations of the Page review and the Ramsden review of the OBR. HM Opposition, along with other interested parties, have access to the reports and analysis of the OBR when published.

Public Sector: Pay

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of removing the public sector pay cap.

Elizabeth Truss: I set out the Government’s position on public sector pay in the House of Commons on 12 September 2017. A copy of this statement is available at: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2017-09-12/HCWS127.

Public Sector: Pay

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to end the public sector pay cap for (a) firefighters, (b) police, (c) teachers, (d) nurses and (e) doctors.

Elizabeth Truss: I set out the Government’s position on public sector pay in the House of Commons on 12 September 2017. A copy of this statement is available at: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2017-09-12/HCWS127. There is a process by which independent pay review bodies make recommendations on the pay award for police, teachers, nurses and doctors. These recommendations will be made public, and the government will respond to them in the usual way. It would be wrong to pre-empt this established process. For firefighters, Central Government has no role in setting their pay negotiation process, which is a matter for the National Joint Council for Local Authority Fire and Rescue Services.

Landlords: Taxation

Mr Clive Betts: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of landlords in each local authority area who are registered for self-assessment with HM Revenue and Customs.

Mel Stride: The table attached presents the number of individuals who declared income from property on their Self-Assessment tax returns for the 2015-16 tax year, the latest year for which data is available, excluding those who declared income from furnished holiday lettings. Note that (i) these figures are based on tax return data, and not Self-Assessment registrations; and (ii) the locations given in the Table relate to the residences of the individuals with property income, and not the locations of properties from which they declared income. HMRC do not hold information about the total number of landlords and so it is not possible to provide a proportion of the numbers in Self-Assessment against that total. 



Self-Assessment tax return numbers 2015-16
(Word Document, 30.39 KB)

Instalment Credit

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information his Department holds on changes in the level of use of personal contracts for agreements in the last five years; what assessment he has made of the reasons for those changes; and if he will extend the provisions of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 to enable full payment ahead of time to personal contract hire agreements; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Barclay: The Government is committed to supporting businesses to offer their customers choice about how they pay for goods and services. Payment by instalments can provide consumers with a helpful way to spread the costs of household goods and services, and this can be an important budgeting tool for consumers. The Government took action in 2015 to exempt credit that is provided free of interest and charges over less than 12 months from Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulation, unless 12 or more repayments are due. To be exempt from FCA regulation, the credit agreement must not be a conditional sale, hire purchase or pawn agreement, and must not finance the purchase of land. The credit agreement must finance the purchase of specific goods or services, must be for a fixed amount, and must contain no charges, interest or administration fees. The provisions within the Consumer Credit Act 1974 (CCA) to enable full payment ahead of time do not apply to agreements which fall under this exemption. The CCA provides important safeguards to protect consumers, and so the exemption is limited to agreements which meet the specified criteria. The Government has no plans to modify this exemption.

Revenue and Customs: Yorkshire and the Humber

Philip Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 6755, on HM Revenue and Customs: Yorkshire and the Humber, what estimate he has made of the annual property costs of the new regional hub recently announced for Leeds.

Mel Stride: Details about the annual property costs of the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) new regional centre in Leeds is commercially sensitive information; disclosing it could compromise the negotiations currently in progress on other regional centres and government hubs.

Stagecoach Group: Tax Avoidance

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost to the public purse has been of the case of Stagecoach Group PLC and Stagecoach Holdings Limited and the Commissioners for Her Majesty; and how much of that cost has been recovered.

Mel Stride: A number of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officers across various compliance, legal, technical and policy teams can be involved in a case at any given time. HMRC officers may work on multiple cases, involving several different behaviours and risks at any one time. Therefore it is not possible to calculate the entire cost to HMRC of this particular investigation. As this case was not in the costs regime, HMRC did not apply for its costs.

Greene King: Tax Avoidance

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what was the cost of litigation in the case of Greene King Plc & Anor v HM Revenue and Customs; and how much of this has been recovered from Ernst & Young.

Mel Stride: The cost of the litigation will not be known until the parties have agreed on the amounts to be paid under a costs order made by the Court of Appeal. If the parties cannot agree, the Court will assess the amounts. The costs order does not apply to Ernst & Young which was not a party to the litigation.

Money Laundering: Prosecutions

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many successful prosecutions there have been for offences under the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 in each year from 2010.

Stephen Barclay: Since 2010, 9705 people in England and Wales have been successfully convicted for money laundering offences – most of these are under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 which provides for various money laundering offences, including where an individual knows or suspects they may be facilitating money laundering or seeks to conceal criminal property. The Money Laundering Regulations 2007 (MLRs) focus on ensuring regulated businesses put in place controls to guard against money laundering or terrorist finance. Supervisors are appointed by the Treasury to monitor compliance with these regulations and primarily use a range of supervisory tools to promote compliance, including warning notices, action plans, financial penalties or withdrawal of the right to practice. The vast majority of breaches of the MLRs are remedied or penalised using these supervisory tools. Since 2010, 10 people have been successfully convicted for breaching the Regulations.

Hospitals: Private Sector

Justin Madders: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many private hospitals are registered as charities; and if he will make an estimate of the savings in tax payable to those hospitals as a result of being that status.

Mel Stride: The information requested on the number of private hospitals registered as charities is not available. Charities and tax relief data held by HM Revenue and Customs cannot be broken down into such sector specific detail.

UK Trade with EU

Justin Madders: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress has been made on the introduction of the new Customs Declaration Service; when he plans for that service to be fully functional; and if he will make a statement.

Mel Stride: The delivery of the new Customs Declaration Service is on target, and HM Revenue and Customs expects to meet its planned delivery date in January 2019. The progress of the programme is subject to rigorous and ongoing internal scrutiny.

Department for Work and Pensions

Personal Independence Payment: Post- traumatic Stress Disorder

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect on the health of people with post-traumatic stress disorder of annual assessments for personal independence payments.

Penny Mordaunt: No such assessment has been made. Reviews of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) are a key part of the benefit and ensure that not only do awards remain correct where needs may change but that we also maintain contact with the claimant, both features missing from its predecessor Disability Living Allowance. The length of an award is based on an individual’s circumstances and can vary from nine months to an on-going award with a light touch review at the ten year point. PIP recognises that for the most severely disabled claimants, the award review process could seem unnecessarily intrusive. Existing PIP claimants with the most severe, lifetime disabilities, whose functional ability has remained the same, are more likely to have their evidence reviewed by a DWP Decision-Maker and will not need to have another face-to-face assessment with a healthcare professional. We will continue to closely monitor developments across the health and disability landscape and engage with stakeholders to improve the service we provide. We are committed to ensuring that the PIP review process works effectively across the spectrum of disabilities and health conditions, including post traumatic stress disorder, other mental health conditions, cognitive impairments and physical disabilities.

Department for Work and Pensions: Pay

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many of his Department's staff had a pay increase (a) above, (b) at and (c) less than one per cent in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Caroline Dinenage: 2015: DWP’s 2015 pay award was subject to the public sector pay constraint of a 1% cap on increases. 99.8% within grades AA to Grade 6 received an increase of 1%. A small number of individuals on the AA pay scale minimum received an increase of 2.5%. 2016: Following the 2015 Spending Review, DWP received limited pay flexibility for operational grades (AA-HEO) to support the transformation of its service. In the 2016 pay award 78% of staff within these operational grades received a pay uplift greater than 1% but no more than 5%. 16% of staff received an uplift of less than 1%. Grades SEO to Grade 6 (5.8% of workforce) were not included within the pay flexibility and received uplifts of 1%. 2017: The 2017 pay award resulted in 78.5% of the workforce receiving pay uplifts greater than 1% but no more than 5%.15.4% of employees received an increase of less than 1%. For grades SEO to Grade 6 (6% of workforce) uplifts ranged from 0.75% to 3.25%. For Senior Civil Servants, 0.2% of the workforce, pay uplifts are governed by the Cabinet Office.

Supported Housing: Finance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of linking funding for supported housing to local housing allowance rates.

Caroline Dinenage: Developing a workable and sustainable funding model for supported housing is a priority for the Government. We will set out further details on the Government’s plans later in the autumn.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the average amount deducted from housing benefit claimants in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c) Wales and (d) Great Britain due to the removal of the spare room subsidy in the latest period for which figures are available.

Caroline Dinenage: The available information for Housing Benefit claims with removal of the spare room subsidy reduction, including average amount deducted, is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/housing-benefit-caseload-statistics

Department for Work and Pensions: Redundancy

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) men and (b) women have left his Department under exit schemes since 31 March 2016.

Caroline Dinenage: During the period 1 April 2016 to 15 September 2017, a total of 2,797 people have exited the Department for Work and Pensions, via Voluntary Exit, Voluntary and Compulsory Redundancy Schemes. The Department for Work and Pensions does not maintain exit scheme records relating to gender.

Department for Work and Pensions: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many civil servants in his Department are part of the Government Commercial Function; and how many of those civil servants have been seconded (a) outside the Government and (b) in from outside the Government in each year since 2012.

Caroline Dinenage: DWP participates in the Government Commercial Organisation (GCO) scheme.32 Civil Servants have transferred to the GCO from DWP. No one that has transferred onto the GCO has been seconded outside the Government, or have come in on a secondment.

Department for Work and Pensions: Devolution

Stephen Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the dates were of the most recent meetings between Ministers of his Department and their counterparts in the devolved administrations; and what the dates are of the next planned meetings.

Damian Hinds: The table below lists the most recent meetings between Ministers from his Department and their counterparts in the devolved administrations and the next planned meetings. MinisterDevolved AdministrationDate of most recent meetingNext planned meetingSecretary of State for Work and PensionsScottish Government14 September 2017N/AMinister for EmploymentWelsh Government13 July 2017Provisional 27 November 2017Minister for Disabled People, Work and HealthScottish Government25 October 2016N/A

Food Banks: Scotland

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 8068, on food banks: domestic visits, whether Ministers of his Department have visited a food bank in Scotland since May 2010.

Damian Hinds: Ministerial visits have been routinely published as transparency data on Gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-ministers-hospitality-and-gifts#history

Universal Credit: Landlords

Heidi Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he expects the universal credit landlord portal to be available in areas with full digital universal credit service.

Damian Hinds: Following successful pilots of the ‘Trusted Partner’ scheme and the ‘Landlord Portal Service’, DWP are rolling out both initiatives together. We are enrolling more landlords in stages, in tandem with the expansion of the Universal Credit Full Service. We have started with the largest landlord groups, in order to ensure the highest possible number of tenants are able to benefit from the schemes, as early as possible. This means that all Trusted Partner landlords have access to the Landlord Portal. We have also already introduced this to the landlords involved in our Trusted Partner pilot. The Trusted Partner scheme allows social landlords to play a key role in engaging with their tenants who are Universal Credit claimants, helping those who can’t manage their housing payments to access the support available. The Landlord Portal provides social landlords with the ability to submit information directly to the Universal Credit online system, which supports timely and accurate payment of housing costs to Universal Credit claimants.

Universal Credit: Telephone Services

Heidi Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to reduce waiting times on the universal credit telephone line in advance of a potential increase in the volume as calls arising from full service rollout.

Damian Hinds: The Universal Credit Full Service was expanded to an additional 29 Jobcentre sites in July and rollout will continue this month, with new claims and changes of circumstance reported online in the vast majority of all cases. All customers have an online account, online statement and journal for interacting with their dedicated Case Manager and Work Coach. We endeavour to resolve all enquiries from our customers at the point of contact, whether that be face-to-face, online, or on the phone. The percentage of calls being received as a proportion of our total caseload has been steadily falling this year, as customers interact more online, and we will continue to invest to make more functionality available online – for example, customers can now update their Claimant Commitments online before and after their meetings with the Work Coach, helping record job search as customers take the next steps forward into work. Every week we match the required capacity and resources to our telephony forecast to ensure we meet demand and deliver a good service across our channels. This capacity is organised to scale up in line with new claims as the service expands further to ensure a good customer service and experience.

Universal Credit: Electronic Government

Heidi Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will bring forward the introduction of the online booking system for universal credit jobcentre appointments so that new claimants in October do not incur costs for calling the helpline.

Damian Hinds: DWP is currently running a tender process to identify a strategic appointment booking provider. In accordance with the minimum timescales set out in the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 we expect to complete this process in January 2018. Once a strategic appointment booking provider is identified, we will need to undertake further work to build the required functionality to link the booking system to the Universal Credit Full Service.

Universal Credit

Heidi Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training his Department has provided to jobcentre work coaches to help claimants adapt to the new universal credit benefit since that benefit was introduced.

Damian Hinds: We have in place a substantial programme of learning and ongoing support for work coaches to enable them to support all customers, whatever their needs. Work coaches receive a blend of face-to-face and online learning, which focuses on both the technical delivery steps and importantly the transformational change, as well as consolidation of training post-completion. Accreditation is also core to establishing our Work Coaches as an externally recognised professional workforce, and is central to our commitment to their continuous professional development. The learning and accreditation for Work Coaches reflects the critical role they play in the successful delivery of Universal Credit. However, we are not complacent and are investing in our people at all levels to give them the skills, knowledge and tools to deliver. The Universal Credit Full Service has a training feature that allows our staff to experience the system. Feedback from staff on the training has been positive, particularly the ability to experience the system before their jobcentre goes live with the full service.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of appeals against awards of personal independence payments to residents of (a) East Dunbartonshire, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK to date have resulted in (a) an increase and (b) no increase in the award.

Penny Mordaunt: PIP data is collated at GB (England, Scotland and Wales only) rather than UK level. The Department only holds data on PIP awards changed and unchanged at appeal. Therefore the awards changed may include a very small number of appeals where the award may have reduced. The table below shows the proportion of appeals against awards of Personal Independent Payment where the award was changed and unchanged at appeal for East Dunbartonshire, Scotland and Great Britain.  Award changed at appealAward unchanged at appealEast Dunbartonshire69%31%Scotland69%31%GB74%26%

Personal Independence Payment: Mobility

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of applicants for personal independence payments to residents of (a) East Dunbartonshire, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK were awarded (i) no support for mobility needs, (ii) the standard mobility component and (iii) the enhanced mobility component in each quarter for which data is available.

Penny Mordaunt: The table below shows the number of applicants for personal independence payments to residents of (a) East Dunbartonshire (Parliamentary Constituency), (b) Scotland and (c) Great Britain who were awarded (i) no support for mobility needs, (ii) the standard mobility component and (iii) the enhanced mobility component in each quarter for which data is available. Note that PIP data is collated at GB rather than UK level  (a) East Dunbartonshire (Parliamentary Constituency)Mobility Award - Enhanced%ageMobility Award - Standard%ageMobility Award - Nil%ageTotal2013 Q2#######2013 Q3#######2013 Q42040%1015%2045%402014 Q110###10#302014 Q22044%1018%2038%502014 Q32028%3029%4043%902014 Q43029%2019%5052%902015 Q13027%2020%6053%1102015 Q24031%3022%7047%1402015 Q33027%3028%5046%1102015 Q43028%2020%5051%1002016 Q15033%3021%7047%1402016 Q26030%3018%10052%1802016 Q37033%4020%9047%2002016 Q48039%5024%7038%1902017 Q18036%5022%10041%2302017 Q28038%5026%7036%2002017 Q3 (to July 2017)1018%2028%4054%70Total64033%43022%89045%1,970 (b) ScotlandMobility Award - Enhanced%ageMobility Award - Standard%ageMobility Award - Nil%ageTotal2013 Q2#######2013 Q342069%6010%13021%6202013 Q41,16030%76020%1,97051%3,8902014 Q11,35032%86020%1,99047%4,1902014 Q21,61030%1,10021%2,61049%5,3202014 Q33,03026%2,57022%6,19053%11,8002014 Q43,35022%3,22021%8,49056%15,0602015 Q13,43020%3,92023%9,72057%17,0702015 Q23,80024%3,68023%8,45053%15,9402015 Q33,37025%3,00023%6,88052%13,2402015 Q43,28024%3,06022%7,40054%13,7402016 Q14,45028%3,49022%8,04050%15,9802016 Q26,02028%4,61021%11,01051%21,6402016 Q36,64030%4,80022%10,37048%21,8102016 Q46,73031%4,84022%10,10047%21,6702017 Q17,91036%4,87022%9,06041%21,8402017 Q26,95035%4,25021%8,79044%19,9802017 Q3 (to July 2017)1,81023%1,51019%4,44057%7,750Total65,33028%50,59022%115,62050%231,540 (c) Great BritainMobility Award - Enhanced%ageMobility Award - Standard%ageMobility Award - Nil%ageTotal2013 Q262093%406%101%6702013 Q34,78072%64010%1,24019%6,6602013 Q48,46038%3,95018%9,58044%21,9802014 Q113,43035%7,58020%16,96045%37,9602014 Q216,75033%10,49021%23,73047%50,9602014 Q331,26028%24,56022%57,68051%113,5002014 Q441,13024%36,50021%93,15055%170,7902015 Q137,91021%38,07021%104,82058%180,8002015 Q229,39020%29,71021%84,49059%143,5902015 Q327,33021%26,27020%76,69059%130,2902015 Q432,41024%26,87020%75,42056%134,6902016 Q141,73027%31,16020%82,75053%155,6402016 Q251,56026%39,41020%105,03054%196,0102016 Q362,26029%44,60021%109,80051%216,6602016 Q467,27032%42,62020%100,01048%209,9002017 Q172,38035%39,98020%91,95045%204,3202017 Q261,80033%35,05019%92,61049%189,4602017 Q3 (to July 2017)17,51027%11,22017%37,00056%65,730Total617,96028%448,71020%1,162,90052%2,229,570  ‘# ‘used to avoid the release of confidential data including instances where there are fewer than 5 cases

Employment and Support Allowance

Peter Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants who were placed in the work-related activity group for employment and support allowance during the financial year 2014-15 remained in that group for two or more years.

Penny Mordaunt: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Department for Work and Pensions: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers of his Department have had with the Chief Scientific Adviser in his Department in the last three months.

Damian Hinds: There have been no meetings with the Chief Scientific Adviser and Ministers of his Department in the last three months.

Department for Work and Pensions: Cybercrime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 8045, on Department for Work and Pensions: cybercrime, how many and what proportion of firms have a Cyber Essentials qualification; and whether that qualification is a requirement for delivering work procured by his Department.

Caroline Dinenage: The number (and proportion) of suppliers holding the Cyber Essentials qualification is not recorded as a specific qualification criterion by DWP. The Department assures each contract on a case by case basis and applies relevant security controls pertinent to the type of services being delivered and the information assets involved. In many cases the security requirements are significantly more robust than those requested within the Cyber essentials scheme.

Local Housing Allowance

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations he has received on the effect of universal credit on the applicable rate of local housing allowance for claimants.

Caroline Dinenage: No representations have been received on the effect of universal credit on the current local housing allowance scheme.

State Retirement Pensions

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people aged over 100-years old receive the state pension in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland.

Guy Opperman: The table below provides a response to your question from DWP’s State Pension administrative data on the number of State Pension recipients aged over 100-years old. There are known issues with the quality of this data due to historical operational processes which mean that some cases remain on the administrative data although they are no longer in payment.  -CaseloadEngland13,510Scotland1,120Wales740Source: DWP Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study, February 2017.Caseload figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Notes:There are additionally 70 persons resident in Great Britain aged over 100-years old whose location is unknown.DWP does not administer State Pensions for Northern Ireland. The figures above relate solely to those that are administered by the DWP.DWP have reviewed the operational process for keeping records no longer in payment on the system and improvements are underway to close down these cases.

Department for Work and Pensions: Correspondence

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 7282, on Department for Work and Pensions: correspondence, how many contracts are with private sector suppliers; who those suppliers are; what the value is of each of those contracts; and what part of his Department's correspondence process those contracts relate to.

Caroline Dinenage: DWP have contracts with 2 private sector suppliers,Xerox (UK) Limited and Engie UK & Ireland.Xerox (UK) Limited annual contract valuation is £5 million, Engie is £13.5million.These contacts relate to incoming & onward mail processing and handling for the Authority

State Retirement Pensions: Uprating

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government has plans to raise the basic state pension in 2018 by September 2017's CPI inflation figure of 2.9 per cent.

Guy Opperman: The Government is committed to increase the basic State Pension up to the full amount of the new State Pension by the Triple Lock for the duration of this Parliament. The Triple Lock ensures that the highest of the growth in wages, prices (CPI) and 2.5% is applied. A decision on the rate to be used is taken annually following the publication of price inflation and earnings growth rate statistics in October.

Housing Benefit: Self-employed

Peter Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will change the housing benefit criteria for small business owners so that only the owner's income is taken into account in the first year of the business making a profit.

Caroline Dinenage: As Housing Benefit is an income-related benefit, regard is normally had to all forms of income, including from self-employment, when assessing entitlement. The net profit figure used in the calculation of Housing Benefit is obtained by deducting any expenses wholly and exclusively incurred for the purpose of the employment, from the gross receipts of the business. This includes capital and interest repayments on loans used to replace existing equipment and machinery. The value of the assets of a business is disregarded when calculating a person’s capital while the business is continuing. No income is taken into account where there are no net profits. The Government believes that the current rules are working in accordance with the policy intention and there are no plans to amend them.

Social Mobility

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Government has made of the effect on his Department's policies of the findings of the Social Mobility Commission report, Time for change: an assessment of Government policies on social mobility 1997-2017, published on 28 June 2017.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government is committed to creating a country where everyone has the chance to go as far as their talents and hard work will take them. This includes taking action that will make a meaningful difference to the lives of the most disadvantaged children and families. This requires an approach that goes beyond the safety net provided by the welfare system to tackle the root causes of child poverty and disadvantage, so that everyone has the chance to realise their potential. We know that children living in workless families are significantly more disadvantaged, and achieve poorer long-term outcomes than other children, including those living in lower-income working families. And despite record levels of employment, around 1 in 8 children across the UK live in workless families. We are therefore taking action to ensure that workless families who face additional, complex barriers have the support they need to help them move on with their lives. Improving Lives: Helping Workless Families, published on 4 April, provided a framework for a continued focus on improving children’s outcomes, now and in the future

Company Finance

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will introduce legislative proposals to prohibit companies with a deficit on their defined benefit pension scheme from paying any dividends without the prior approval of the Pensions Regulators.

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require companies with a deficit on their defined benefit pension scheme to seek the approval of the Pensions Regulator before agreeing to any merger or takeover.

Guy Opperman: Our Green Paper: Security and Sustainability in Defined Benefit Schemes looked at a number of potential measures to further protect DB schemes – including introducing a system for compulsory clearance by the Regulator for certain corporate transactions and a requirement for employers to consult with trustees before paying dividends where the scheme is underfunded.We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish a White Paper in winter. Any future changes to legislation need to be considered carefully against the need to ensure appropriate protections for members, the impact on business and the wider economy.

State Retirement Pensions: Barnsley

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many women in Barnsley born in the 1950s and affected by the change in state pension age have returned to employment from a position of unemployment.

Guy Opperman: The data requested is not held, however the number of older workers in the UK is at a record high, currently standing at 9.9m workers aged 50 years and over. 4.2m women aged 50-64 are in employment; this compares to 3.5m five years ago. There are 1.2 million individuals in employment aged over 65, of which 39% are women. Employment rates for older workers have also been increasing and recently reached record highs. Since ten years ago, the employment rate has increased by 6.2 percentage points (pp) (from 64.9% to 71.1%) for people aged 50-64. The current employment rate for women aged 50-64 is at a record high of 66.8%. Further information on estimates of employment, unemployment, economic inactivity and other employment-related statistics for the UK can be found in the “UK labour market: September 2017” statistical bulletin published at the Office for National Statistics (ONS) website:https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/uklabourmarket/september2017 The Government is committed to supporting people aged 50 years and over to remain in and return to work; the ‘Fuller Working Lives: A Partnership Approach’ strategy was published on 2nd February. This, crucially, is led by employers, but it also sets out the case for action by individuals, and the role of Government in supporting them in planning their careers and their approach to retirement. The Strategy and supporting evidence base are available at the attached web address:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fuller-working-lives-a-partnership-approach Analysis on the headline measures that the government uses to monitor progress on Fuller Working Lives can be found in this statistical release:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/economic-labour-market-status-of-individuals-aged-50-and-over-trends-over-time-september-2017

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 8092, on social security benefits: disqualification, if he will (a) collect the information requested and (b) analyse any information collected to determine whether there is a correlation between sanctions and food bank use; and if he will publish his findings.

Damian Hinds: My Department has no plans to collect or publish these data.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Criminal Records

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people claiming jobseeker's allowance in (a) Ceredigion, (b) Wales and (c) the UK have a criminal record.

Damian Hinds: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

State Retirement Pensions

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the (a) number and (b) average age was of state pension recipients in (i) Scotland, (ii) England, (iii) Wales and (iv) Northern Ireland in the latest period for which figures are available.

Guy Opperman: Please find the response to your question in the table below: CaseloadAverage AgeScotland1,020,02074.3England10,001,16074.7Wales647,33074.5 Source: DWP Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study, February 2017.Caseload figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.Averages are means. There are additionally 430 persons resident in Great Britain whose location is unknown.DWP does not administer State Pensions for Northern Ireland. The figures above relate solely to those that are administered by the DWP.

Universal Credit

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations his Department has received on the accelerated roll-out of universal credit.

Damian Hinds: Officials from DWP have met with a number of national and local organisations ahead of Universal Credit roll out. The most recent phase of expansion will only take the proportion of the forecast claimant population receiving UC from 8% currently to 10% by the end of January.

Home Office

Home Office: Cybercrime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the principle set out in paragraph 5.3.6 of the Government's Cyber Security Strategy that everyone who works in government has a sound awareness of cyber risk applies to members of staff employed by contractors doing work procured by her Department.

Mr Ben  Wallace: The policy set out in paragraph 5.3.6 of the National Cyber Security Strategy applies to everyone employed by the Home Office, including contractors. The Home Office is committed to ensuring that contractors and their staff have a sound awareness of cyber risk matters and they take all necessary safeguards to protect the department’s information. Cyber security awareness, the need to ensure contractual compliance with Information Assurance standards such as ISO 27001:2013 certification and “Cyber Essentials/ Plus” is included in contract specifications and reviewed as part of the evaluation process. Contractors must comply with the department’s IT security policies and procedures.

Elections: Hate Crime

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps are being taken to ensure statistics are collected on hate crime and abuse during elections.

Sarah Newton: The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of hate crime offences recorded by the police in England and Wales. These figures will cover periods when elections are being held. Information on hate crime offences can be found in the hate crime statistical bulletin, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hate-crime-england-and-wales-2015-to-2016 A yearly breakdown of hate crime by police force and hate crime strand is also available in the Hate crime open data tables, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables.

Police: Legal Costs

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to update Home Office circular 43/2001 on financial assistance to police officers in legal proceedings.

Mr Nick Hurd: Home Office circular 43/2001 has been updated following consultation with the key policing stakeholders. The updated circular was implemented on 5 September and will be published on Gov.uk shortly.

Offences against Children

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which Minister has responsibility for the Government's cross-departmental working on child sexual exploitation.

Sarah Newton: I have responsibility for the Home Office's work on child sexual exploitation and work with other Ministers across government on this subject.

Merseyside Police

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had with Merseyside Police on the effect of (a) funding and (b) the number of police officers on tackling (i) serious and organised and (ii) gun crime across Merseyside.

Mr Nick Hurd: The 2015 Spending Review protected police funding in real terms, assuming Police and Crime Commissioners maximise precept. Since then, police forces have received broadly flat cash direct resource funding and we are increasing investment in transformation and improved communications and technology capabilities. As a result, Merseyside police force received £500,000 more in 2017/18 compared with 2015/16. However, the Government recognises that the police have faced significant challenges this year. We have, therefore, set in hand a programme of engagement to understand better the demands they face, and how these can best be managed. As part of this, the Minister for Policing and Fire Minister will be speaking to, and visiting, a number of forces over the next few months. We are in regular discussion with police forces and the National Ballistics Intelligence Service to monitor gun crime levels. The ONS statistics show that firearms offences are 34% lower than they were a decade ago, though there has been an increase nationally in recent years. The opposite has been the case in Merseyside in recent years, with firearms offences falling. However, we know incidents where a firearm has been discharged have increased over the last year in Merseyside. We continue to work closely with law enforcement partners to ensure that we have the right intelligence, detection and enforcement capabilities internationally, at the UK border and within the UK. For example, firearms controls have been strengthened through the Policing and Crime Act 2017 and a multi-agency firearms unit has been established. On 5th September this unit was awarded £2.4m of Police Transformation Funding. We are also introducing statutory guidance for the police on firearms licensing to ensure that the robust processes in place for assessing an individual’s suitability to own a gun are applied consistently. Last year we initiated a new firearms science and technology programme, committing £2m over two years, to the development of automatic threat detection technology. Complementary to this work at the national level, the Home Office supports the local and regional response to crime where appropriate, and discussions are ongoing about the support available for Merseyside. The Home Secretary’s letter to Maria Eagle MP of 5th September, copied to you, provides further detail on this.

Stop and Search: North East

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the number of people who have been stopped and searched in (a) the area covered by West Midlands Police authority, (b) the City of Wolverhampton and (c) Wolverhampton North East constituency in each of the last seven years.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office collects and publishes statistics on the number of stop and searches, conducted by each police force in England and Wales. The Home Office collects these data at police force area level only and does not hold this information at consistency level. Data on stop and searches are broken down by the reason for the search and the ethnicity of the person being searched. These data are published in the ‘Police Powers and Procedures, England and Wales’ statistical bulletins, and data for the year ending March 2016 can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2016

Bail

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many suspects have been granted police bail by each police force in each month since 2015.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office does not currently hold the information requested.

Compass Contracts

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total expenditure incurred on the Compass asylum accommodation contract was in 2014-15 and 2015-16.

Brandon Lewis: As part of its commitment to meet the Governments transparency agenda the Home Office publishes the monthly spend with all suppliers in excess of £25,000. As such the information you request is already considered to be in the public domain and can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?keywords=home+office+spending+over+%C2%A325%2C000&publication_filter_option=all&topics%5B%5D=all&departments%5B%5D=all&official_document_status=all&world_locations%5B%5D=all&from_date=&to_date=&commit=Refresh+results

Asylum: Housing

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 3 April 2017 to Question 69586, when she plans to respond to the Home Affairs Select Committee report, Asylum accommodation, published on 17 January 2017.

Brandon Lewis: The Government has carefully considered the Twelfth Report of the Home Affairs Select Committee and will publish its response in due course.

Rohingya: Burma

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to classify members of the Rohingya community as stateless in respect of applications for asylum.

Brandon Lewis: Whether a person is stateless is a matter of fact and law. Therefore, each case needs to be considered on its facts. It is open to a person to apply for leave to remain as a stateless person. This cannot be done at the same time as an asylum claim is being pursued.

Poisons

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 7 September 2017 to Question 7517, what her policy is on (a) suppliers of substances listed in Part 3 of Schedule 1A to the Poisons Act 1972 being required to report a relevant transaction only if they have reasonable grounds to suspect that it is intended for the illicit manufacture of explosives and (b) suppliers of such substances being required to additionally report a relevant transaction if they have reasonable grounds to suspect that it is intended for other illicit uses.

Sarah Newton: The Poisons Act 1972 places a legal requirement on retailers of all substances listed under Schedule 1A to report any suspicious transactions, loss or thefts to the Anti-Terrorist hotline on 0800 789321 or Chemical.Reporting@Met.Police.UKIn addition to this, there is a range of guidance available to retailers of these substances on https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hazardous-sites-and-substances#epp-licensing:-guidance-for-businesses

Compass Contracts

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of the Compass asylum accommodation contract in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office publishes data regarding its financial accounts on the GOV.UK website as part of its financial reporting procedures and also as part of the transparency agenda. Therefore the information you require is included within the published accounts and is considered to be already in the public domain and accessible. Therefore please use the following links:2014/15 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-annual-report-and-accounts-2014-to-20152015/16 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-annual-report-and-accounts-2015-to-2016

Crimes of Violence: Acids

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to support local Community Safety partnerships in monitoring and restricting sales of corrosive substances in corrosive crime hotspots by working with retailers to (a) restrict sales of these substances to persons over the age of 21, (b) prohibit cash sales of these substances and (c) encourage retailers to keep a diary of sales of these substances.

Sarah Newton: We will support Community Safety Partnerships. As part of our action plan to tackle the use of acid and other corrosives in violent attacks we are working with a range of partners, including the police and retailers to restrict access to the most harmful corrosive products. We are developing a set of voluntary commitments for individual retailers to adopt and are currently discussing the commitments with the British Retail Consortium.

Psychoactive Substances Act 2016: Convictions

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been convicted under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 (a) in total and (b) for offences involving nitrous oxide.

Sarah Newton: Convictions data is a matter for the Ministry of Justice.

Home Office: Redundancy

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) men and (b) women have left her Department under exit schemes since 31 March 2016.

Sarah Newton: The Home Office had a total of 110 staff that left the Department under exit schemes since 31 March 2016 to date. This was split between 59 men, at a cost of £2.8M, and 51 women at a cost of £1.98M. All Exit payments are made on the basis of length of service and final salary, which means that there is a consistent approach to the way in which exit payments are calculated.

Radicalism: Young People

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to monitor the movements throughout the UK of young people who have become radicalised.

Mr Ben  Wallace: Where radicalised young people present a threat to national security, that threat is managed by MI5 and the Police.There are a range of powers and tools available to the police and security services to do this. The Government keeps these powers under constant review.

Independent Police Complaints Commission

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the proportion of investigations by the Independent Police Complaints Commission that result in at least one charge being laid; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Nick Hurd: This data is not collated. Information about CPS referrals and charging decisions in relation to IPCC investigations is regularly recorded manually by operational staff on an IPCC database for internal use, however the data is partial and in a number of cases CPS charging decisions remain under consideration. The IPCC has offered to write to the Member providing relevant management information on the issue.

Cybercrime

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has (a) received and (b) complied with any requests under mutual legal assistance treaties requesting the seizure of domain names and IP addresses which are being used to facilitate cyber crime.

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has any plans to bring forward legislative proposals to enable law enforcement bodies such as the National Crime Agency (NCA) to seize domain names and IP addresses where they are being used to facilitate cyber crime; and whether she has received any representations from the NCA on that matter.

Mr Ben  Wallace: The Home Office regularly engages with law enforcement bodies to review cyber crime-related legislation in order to ensure that it keeps pace with evolving threats.Law enforcement agencies currently can and do work in close partnership with service providers to remove illegal content online.The Home Office is not aware of any MLA requests to seize domain names and IP addresses used to facilitate cyber crime.

Home Office: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many civil servants in her Department are part of the Government Commercial Function; and how many of those civil servants have been seconded(a) outside the Government and (b) in from outside the Government in each year since 2012.

Sarah Newton: Currently the Home Office has 175 staff under the Government Commercial Function, of which 31 are directly employed by the Government Commercial Organisation.There are none seconded.2016 had 153.3 staff part of the Government Commercial Function.Prior to that, zero because the Home Office became part of the Government Commercial Function during late 2016 having previously been autonomous.

Slavery

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, from which public authorities her Department has received notifications under section 52 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Sarah Newton: Since November 2015 we have received notifications under section 52 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 from the following public authorities: Police forces in England and WalesBorder ForceUK Visas and ImmigrationImmigration EnforcementNational Crime AgencyGangmasters and Labour Abuse AuthorityLocal Authorities We have also received notifications from a range of organisations within the NHS, including NHS Trusts and General Practitioners.

Police: Disclosure of Information

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has issued on the disclosure of information by the police to the Disclosure and Barring Service in cases where a person has been found not guilty or no charges were brought.

Sarah Newton: Statutory guidance is issued under section 113B(4A) of the Police Act 1997 in order to assist chief officers of police in making decisions to provide information from local police records for inclusion in enhanced DBS certificates. The first edition of this guidance was introduced on 10 September 2012 and the most recent revision came into force on 10 August 2015.

Domestic Violence

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make grants from her Department to local authorities to enable them to provide funds to victims of domestic violence.

Sarah Newton: The Home Office is providing £17m through the Violence Against Women and Girls Service Transformation Fund to support 41 local areas across England and Wales for services for victims and survivors of violence against women and girls, including domestic abuse.This funding forms part of a wider commitment of £100m through to 2020, which includes a two-year £20m fund from DCLG to local authorities for refuges and accommodation-based services for 16/17 and 17/18 that is supporting 76 projects and creating 2,200 new bed spaces in refuges and other specialist accommodation. An additional £7.5m through the Tampon Tax Fund is also used to support charities that work with victims and survivors of violence against women and girls.Police and Crime Commissioners are best placed to make decision about funding according to local priorities, and the Ministry of Justice provide them with £63m per year for support services for victims of crime in their local areas, including to victims and survivors of domestic abuse.Last year, the Government launched a ‘National Statement of Expectations for Violence Against Women and Girls Services’ to set out a clear blueprint for good local commissioning and service provision, which is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/574665/VAWG_National_Statement_of_Expectations_-_FINAL.PDF.

Police: Complaints

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will introduce measures to ensure that retired police officers cannot refuse to engage with police standards investigations if there is a complaint about their conduct during their time in service.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government introduced reforms through the Policing and Crime Act, 2017 that allow for disciplinary action to be taken against a police officer who has retired or resigned where they are subject to allegations of gross misconduct in respect of their time in service. In these circumstances, a former officer will remain subject to the Police (Conduct) Regulations which will set out how the former officer should co-operate and engage with the investigation and attend an interview or respond to a written notice of enquiry. In the event of a former officer choosing not to participate or engage with an investigation and proceedings, the regulations will enable the proceedings to continue to a full conclusion in his or her absence.

Fracking: Lancashire

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many protesters arrested at the shale gas exploration site off the A583 Preston New Road during 2017 were (a) permanently resident in Lancashire, (b) resident at a protester camp and (c) permanently resident outside of Lancashire.

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost to Lancashire Police has been for operations in relation to the activities of protesters at the shale gas exploration site off the A583 Preston New Road in 2017.

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of those arrested as part of the policing operation around the shale gas exploration site off the A583 Preston New Road since 1 January 2017 are permanently resident in Lancashire.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office does not hold centrally information on the number of arrests made at the shale gas exploration site off the A583 Preston New Road.The Home Office collects and publishes data on the number of arrests broken down by police force area. These data cannot be broken down to identify those arrested at specific locations or in relation to specific incidents.

Metals: Recycling

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to ensure the enforcement of rules to prevent metal recycling operators from making cash payments for scrap metal.

Sarah Newton: The Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 introduced a robust regulatory regime for the metal recycling industry, including a ban on cash payments for scrap metal.It is the responsibility of the police and local authorities to ensure that those who trade in scrap metal are compliant with the provisions of the Act including in relation to cash payments, and that action is taken against those rogue dealers who flout the law. We have undertaken a review of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act and will publish a report with our findings shortly.

Metals: Theft

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to prevent metal thefts from (a) communications and transport networks and (b) heritage sites.

Sarah Newton: We recognise the harmful impact that metal thefts can have on victims and wider communities including through interfering with strategic frameworks and heritage sites. The Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 has helped to reduce levels of metal thefts since its introduction and we will continue to work with the police and other partners through the National Metal Theft Working Group to monitor the operation and impact of the legislation.

Home Office: Scientific Advisers

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that her policies are informed by independent scientific advice.

Mr Ben  Wallace: My Chief Scientific Adviser, Prof. John Aston, ensures that departmental policies are informed by the best science and engineering evidence and advice by offering independent advice directly to ministers and officials and working together with the cross Government Chief Scientific Advisers’ network to advise on issues that cut across government. Independent Scientific Advice is also available from many other sources including independent scientific advisory committees, the Home Office Science Advisory Council, by officials engaging directly with relevant industry and academic experts and by external commissioning of research and analysis.

Gangs

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will support the Economic and Social Research Council to fund additional research into the contemporary state of criminal gangs and their activities to help inform policy solutions to (a) reduce gang membership and (b) tackle the problems that gangs cause.

Sarah Newton: The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is a non-departmental public body (NDPB). The Government is committed to the Haldane principle, whereby funding decisions are made by independent experts and as such government departments are not in a position to intervene in that decision making process on behalf of particular projects or individuals. Research funding is awarded on a competitive basis and the decision to fund projects such as potential work on criminal gangs is taken by the ESRC following a peer review and wider commissioning process. Grant funding is very competitive, and it is not possible to fund all fundable proposals. The commissioning processes are, however, designed to ensure that all research areas are treated fairly.

Ending Gang Violence and Exploitation Forum

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many meetings the Ending Gang Violence and Exploitation Forum has held since it was established; and how many representatives of (a) local authorities and (b) other public bodies have been represented at each of those meetings.

Sarah Newton: The Ending Gang Violence and Exploitation Forum (EGVE) has over 200 members representing a range of organisations. The EGVE Forum has met on four occasions since July 2016 and each meeting has been attended by over 60 members. We do not hold information on the exact breakdown of representatives from each sector in attendance at each meeting. However each meeting has been attended by members from local authorities, the police, and voluntary sector.

Poisons: Sales

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2017 to Question 8330, if she will publish any Home Office guidance for online retailers on how to identify suspicious transactions within the terms of the Poisons Act.

Sarah Newton: As well as frequently engaging with online retailers of substances under the control of the Poisons Act 1972, guidance for both online and physical sellers can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hazardous-sites-and-substances#epp-licensing:-guidance-for-businesses

Ending Gang Violence and Exploitation Forum

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding her Department delivers to the Ending Gang Violence and Exploitation Forum.

Sarah Newton: In December 2016 we provided a £100,000 fund for Ending Gang Violence and Exploitation (EGVE) Forum members and we supported 11 local projects. These included projects to support work with students, providing help to parents of gang affected children, providing interventions for gang affected women and girls, and delivering messages in schools about not carrying knives. In August this year we invited bidding for a further round of EGVE funding which is open to EGVE Forum members, of which over 200 different organisations are now represented in the Forum and able to put forward a bid for funding for a specific project if they are interested. We have made up to £300,000 available.

Poisons

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2017 to Question 7517, whether it is her policy that (a) suppliers of substances listed in Part 3 of Schedule 1A to the Poisons Act 1972 must report a relevant transaction only if they have reasonable grounds to suspect that it is intended for the illicit manufacture of explosives or (b) suppliers of such substances should additionally report a relevant transaction if they have reasonable grounds to suspect that it is intended for other illicit uses; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of amending the Poisons Act 1972 to clarify that policy intention.

Sarah Newton: The Poisons Act 1972 places a legal requirement on retailers of all substances listed under Schedule 1A to report any suspicious transactions, loss or thefts to the Anti-Terrorist hotline on 0800 789321 or Chemical.Reporting@Met.Police.UKIn addition to this, there is a range of guidance available to retailers of these substances on https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hazardous-sites-and-substances#epp-licensing:-guidance-for-businessesWe are currently reviewing the Poisons Act 1972 and how it can be amended to prevent the use of hazardous substances to cause harm. As part of this review, the Home Secretary announced that sulphuric acid would become a regulated substance under Part 1 of Schedule 1A.

Islamic State: British Nationals Abroad

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the number of British citizens who have left the UK to join ISIS and who have (a) returned home and (b) been prevented from returning home.

Mr Ben  Wallace: Approximately 850 UK linked individuals of national security concern have travelled to engage with the Syrian conflict. We estimate that just under half have returned and approximately 15% are now dead. This number includes all those of national security concern, not just those affiliated with Daesh.Everyone who returns from taking part in the conflict in Syria or Iraq must expect to be investigated by the police to determine if they have committed criminal offences, and to ensure that they do not pose a threat to our national security.

Fracking: Lancashire

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) arrests, (b) charges and (c) convictions there have been for anti-social or violent conduct with respect to protest activity relating to the shale gas exploration site off the A583 Preston New Road in 2017 to date.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office collects and publishes data on the number of arrests broken down by offence group. These data are published in the ‘Police Powers and Procedures, England and Wales’ statistical bulletins, and data can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales Information is also published on the number of offences that are dealt with by charge or summons. These data are published in the ‘Crime Outcomes in England and Wales’ statistical bulletins, and data can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/crime-outcomes-in-england-and-wales-2016-to-2017

Police: Emergency Calls

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the (a) effectiveness and (b) extent of use of (i) 101 and (ii) 999 call transference between call-handling centres in different police service areas as part of overflow procedures.

Mr Nick Hurd: The handling of 999 and 101 calls is an operational matter for the police. The Home Office does not collect information on call transference.

Motorcycles: Helmets

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 September 2017 to Question 9627, on motorcycles:  helmets, for what reasons there is no reference to the safety of suspects on mopeds and motorcycles as influencing the decision as to whether police pursue the suspects.

Mr Nick Hurd: All decisions by police officers as to whether to initiate or continue any pursuit will balance the public interest in apprehending suspected criminals against the need to avoid the death or serious injury of any road users.The category of ‘any road users’ includes the suspect(s) being pursued, the officer(s) carrying out the pursuit and all other road users and pedestrians not involved in the pursuit.

Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the comments of the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, Max Hill QC, referred to in the Independent Newspaper of 19 August 2017, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of expanding the use of disruptive arrests, charges, and sentences within the criminal justice response to terror suspects.

Mr Ben  Wallace: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on the 19th September 2017, UIN 10158.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Pay

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many of his Department's staff had a pay increase (a) above one per cent, (b) at one per cent and (c) less than one per cent in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Chloe Smith: The number of staff in my Department who have received a pay increase above, at, or less than 1% in 2015-16 is shown in the table below.To collate a response for years 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 would exceed the cost limit. Increase in basic salary 2015-16  HeadcountLess than 1%01% increase86Greater than 1%3Total89 This response covers only Home Civil Servants (HCS) staff employed directly by my department; it does not include staff seconded from the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) who remain on NICS terms and conditions, including pay.

Northern Ireland Office: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many civil servants in his Department are part of the Government Commercial Function; and how many of those civil servants have been seconded (a) outside the Government and (b) in from outside the Government in each year since 2012.

Chloe Smith: No Civil Servants in my Department are part of the Government Commercial Function.

Health Services: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the timescale is for allocating the additional funding for health as part of the Government's agreement with the Democratic Unionist Party in the absence of the Northern Ireland Executive.

James Brokenshire: The Northern Ireland Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Northern Ireland Office: Redundancy

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many (a) men and (b) women have left his Department under exit schemes since 31 March 2016.

Chloe Smith: From 1 April 2016, only one individual left under an exit scheme. Due to the risk of identification their gender cannot be disclosed.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Assets

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, in which of the last 10 years her Department has submitted a strategic asset management plan to the Government Property Unit.

Matt Hancock: The Government Property Unit has commissioned Strategic Asset Management Plans (SAMPs) from departments on an annual basis since 2014. The SAMP articulates the property aspects of a department's business and forms part of the overall planning framework in government linked to each Single Departmental Plan. In some cases, where there are significant changes to a department's remit (such as following a machinery of government change or major business reviews), the timing of a SAMP refresh may be aligned with the broader strategy for the department. Information is provided regularly to the Government Property Unit about the management of the department’s property assets and Executive Summaries of SAMPs will be published for the first time in Autumn 2017.

Data Protection: Next of Kin

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what rights next of kin have to access data that belonged to deceased relatives.

Matt Hancock: The process on granting a next of kin access to any data on the deceased, held by public authorities is outlined in the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) and the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) 2004.

Data Protection: EU Law

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect on businesses of no data adequacy agreement being in place when the UK leaves the EU; and if she will make a statement.

Matt Hancock: I refer the Hon. member to my response to PQ 8887 answered on 11 September.

Vulnerable Adults: Data Protection

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what rights relatives have to access data that belongs to vulnerable adults.

Matt Hancock: Individuals' rights in regards to the processing of personal data is governed by the Data Protection Act (DPA) which is regulated by the Information Commissioner. The DPA recognises that in certain circumstances a third person may need to act on behalf of a friend or relative, in such circumstances the DPA will not prevent someone from accessing and updating information about another person, as long as they have permission to do so.The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has published advice on its website on the rights of individuals who are acting on behalf of a vulnerable person or relative.This information can be found at:https://iconewsblog.org.uk/2015/02/11/how-data-protection-helps-supporting-someone-with-dementia/

Telecommunications: Misrepresentation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 8813, on telecommunications: misrepresentation, whether informed consent applies for the duration of the contract; and how informed consent applies to people who may become classified as vulnerable during the contract period.

Matt Hancock: Ofcom currently has rules in place which ensure that where communication providers make modifications to contractual terms which are likely to be of material detriment to a subscriber, they notify the subscriber of the modification and their ability to terminate the contract without penalty if the proposed modification is not acceptable.In terms of identifying whether a customer is vulnerable, the communications provider would need to be made aware of the change in the consumer's circumstances either by the customer or a third party if they were authorised to act on their behalf.Ofcom has now proposed, as part of its review of General Conditions of Entitlement, that all communications providers must comply with the introduction of a new condition on vulnerability which would require communication providers to take reasonable steps to identify vulnerable customers.

BBC: Business Interests

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the BBC on its publishing declarations of interests made by presenters and other employees.

Matt Hancock: The Secretary of State has not had any discussions with the BBC on publishing declarations of personal interests made by presenters or other employees. This is an operational matter for the BBC.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Redundancy

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many (a) men and (b) women have left her Department under exit schemes since 31 March 2016.

Matt Hancock: Since 31 March 2016, the number of men and women who have left the Department under exit schemes is: Men: 2Women: 4

Television: Licensing

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many households were demonstrated to own a television set but did not have a television license in each of the last three years.

Matt Hancock: The Government does not hold this information. The BBC, under its trademark 'TV Licensing', carries out the administration and enforcement of the television licence system.

Broadband

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many households received broadband speeds of less than 5mb in each constituency in each of the last two years.

Matt Hancock: The Department does not have data on premises that receive speeds of less than 5Mbps. The Department has deposited in the House of Commons Library results of its modelling and analysis of broadband coverage by constituency, including figures for sub 2 and sub 10 Mbps premises. Similar information, by constituency, is also available from Think Broadband (http://labs.thinkbroadband.com/local/).

Horse Racing: Betting

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a statutory levy on bookmakers to fund the work of GambleAware.

Tracey Crouch: As I made clear at Departmental Oral Questions on 18 September, I am determined that the gambling industry acknowledges its social responsibilities, including properly funding the work undertaken by GambleAware, and other organisations, on research, education and treatment for gambling-related harm. The industry currently contributes over £8 million per year to GambleAware. GambleAware is seeking to increase this to £10 million per year in line with work that has been done by the Responsible Gambling Strategy Board (RGSB) to cost the short term work of delivering the National Responsible Gambling Strategy.The industry must step up and fulfill their obligations under these new targets.

Sports: Females

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 7318, if she will make it her policy to include more women's sports events, including domestic football, cricket and rugby matches on the designated list of events to be kept free to air on terrestrial television.

Matt Hancock: There are currently no plans to review Listed Events. My department is keen to raise the profile of women's sport in the media and encourage more commercial investment into women's sport. Since the Olympics in 2012, there has been a notable increase in the coverage of women's sport on terrestrial television, including the 2017 UEFA Women's European Championships and the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup. Furthermore, the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup will also be on free to air television.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Cycling

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many civil servants in her Department made use of a cycle-to-work scheme in each of the last five years.

Matt Hancock: The table below shows the number of civil servants in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport who have used the cycle-to-work scheme in each year since 1st April 2012. Number of Civil Servants that made use of the Cycle to Work Scheme1st April 2012 - 31st March 201321st April 2013 - 31st March 201411st April 2014 - 31st March 201551st April 2015 - 31st March 201681st April 2016 - to date12Total28

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans she has to appoint a Chief Scientific Adviser.

Matt Hancock: I refer the Hon member to my answer to PQ 9586.

World War I: Anniversaries

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the merits of allocating funding from the Government and Heritage Lottery Fund to commemorate Hedd Wynn in Ceredigion as part of the Government's First World War commemorations programme.

John Glen: I am delighted that Yr Ysgwrn, the home of Hedd Wyn has recently reopened to the public, thanks to £2,972,500 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to repair and develop the buildings, and following its purchase in 2012 with money from both the Welsh Government and the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF). While funding decisions are made by the Heritage Lottery Fund independently of my Department, I am sure that Yr Ysgwrn will teach generations of visitors about Hedd Wyn’s experiences and the First World War and provide a suitable home for the related collections and archives, including Y Gadair Ddu, the 1917 National Eisteddfod chair awarded to him posthumously.

World War I: Anniversaries

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which projects are receiving funding from the Government and Heritage Lottery Fund to commemorate the centenary of the First World War.

John Glen: A wide range of projects are receiving funding from Government to commemorate the centenary of the First World War. Government has committed LIBOR funds to support the National Commemorative events delivered by my Department - to commemorate the Gallipoli Campaign, the battles of Jutland, the Somme and Passchendaele, and a variety of events to be delivered in 2018. Government funding has also been committed to a range of other projects to commemorate the Centenary of the First World War, including £40 million for the First World War Centenary Cathedral repair fund, and £5.3 million of funding from DfE and DCLG for the First World War Battlefield Tour project. There are also many other projects receiving Government support, including a five-year Historic England project to add 2,500 war memorials to the National Heritage List for England, and the School Debates programme. Since April 2010 the Heritage Lottery Fund has allocated over £90 million to more than 1,800 projects marking the Centenary. This includes grants of more than £15 million to The National Museum of the Royal Navy for HMS Caroline, £16.5 million to Imperial War Museums for the new First World War galleries and 14-18 NOW, and £2.8million to Yr Ysgrwn. This figure also includes £11million awarded to more than 1,300 community projects. A wide range of community organisations are receiving funding under this programme, including disability groups, resident’s associations, faith groups, refugee councils, and theatre groups.

Coventry City Football Club

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the hon. Member for Daventry on the mediation process relating to Coventry City Football Club; and what progress has been made to date during that process.

Tracey Crouch: I continue to be kept regularly updated on this matter. Talks around where the club will be playing its home matches from next season are still ongoing. I would urge Coventry City FC and the other relevant parties to agree a plan, so that attention can turn to working together, to provide the clarity needed for the club and its loyal supporters.

Football

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the Football Association on catalysing grass roots football.

Tracey Crouch: Sport England is working with the Football Association on a new programme of support for grassroots football. Details of the new funding award for the period 2017-2021 and how this will align with the objectives set out in the government's sport strategy Sporting Future and Sport England's strategy Towards an Active Nation will be announced shortly.

Betting Shops: Gaming Machines

Mr Bob Seely: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of giving additional powers to local authorities to review, amend and revoke betting premises' licences for establishments with fixed-odds betting terminals which those authorities consider to be detrimental to their local communities.

Tracey Crouch: The Government announced a review of gaming machines and social responsibility measures in 2016 to ensure that we have the right balance between a sector that can grow and contribute to the economy, and one that is socially responsible and doing all it can to protect consumers and wider communities. We hope to publish the findings of the review by October at the earliest.

Football: Commercial Agents

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will commission a review of the role, responsibilities and financial compliance of football agents.

Tracey Crouch: The Football Association has responsibility for the regulation of intermediaries in the game. Their role includes proper investigation of any evidence of inappropriate behaviour. The integrity of sport is absolutely paramount, and the UK Sports Governance code, which the FA has signed up to, sets out clearly what we expect in terms of the highest standards of governance and transparency from all our sports governing bodies.

Leader of the House

Public Expenditure: Northern Ireland

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Leader of the House, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of establishing a separate procedure for the House's scrutiny of and agreement to the funding on the £1billion of additional financial support for Northern Ireland referred to in the agreement between the Government and the DUP, published on 26 June 2017; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom: The additional UK Government financial support for Northern Ireland will be treated in line with other Government spending commitments.

Department of Health

Sexually Transmitted Infections: North West

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many cases of (a) chlamydia, (b) gonorrhea, (c) genital herpes, (d) HIV/AIDS, (e) human papillomavirus, (f) Syphilis, (g) Bacterial Vaginosis and (h) trichomoniasis were treated by (i) Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, (ii) University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay, (iii) Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, (iv) Bolton NHS, (v) East Lancashire Hospital and (vi) Southport and Ormskirk Hospitals Trust s in each quarter since 1 January 2014 for people aged 50 years and over.

Steve Brine: The data requested on chlamydia, gonorrhea, genital herpes, human papillomavirus, Syphilis, Bacterial Vaginosis and trichomoniasis are not available for the age range or geographical area requested.The HIV data is available by region and are available to view here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hiv-annual-data-tables

Female Genital Mutilation: North West

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many cases of female genital mutilation were reported to police forces by (a) Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, (b) University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay, (c) Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, (d) Bolton NHS, (e) East Lancashire Hospital, (f) Southport and Ormskirk Hospitals, (g) Warrington and Halton Hospitals, (h) St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals and (i) Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust in each each quarter between 1 January 2016 and 30 June 2017.

Jackie Doyle-Price: This data is not centrally collected by either the Department or NHS Digital.

Health Professions: Vacancies

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many vacancies there were for (a) consultants, (b) other doctors, (c) registered nurses, (d) physiotherapists, (e) X-ray technicians and (f) pharmacists at (i) Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, (ii) University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay, (iii) Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, (iv) Bolton NHS, (v) East Lancashire Hospital, (vi) Southport and Ormskirk Hospitals Trust, (vii) Warrington and Halton Hospitals and (viii) St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals as at 31 August 2017.

Mr Philip Dunne: The information is not available in the format requested. Health Education England (HEE) provides estimates of staff shortages and the plan for tackling these issues as part of their Workforce Plan for England publication. The latest figures are available at the following link.https://hee.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/documents/Workforce%20Plan%20for%20England%202016-17.pdfHEE plans to publish the Workforce Plan for England 2017/18 in due course.

Genito-urinary Medicine

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps Public Health England has taken to support the commissioning of condom delivery, open access sexual health services and STI screening, focusing on groups at highest risk, as part of the implementation of the Health Promotion for Sexual Health and HIV Strategic Action Plan 2016 to 2019.

Steve Brine: Public Health England (PHE) has developed guidance and evidence for condom distribution schemes with key stakeholders which can be accessed here:www.brook.org.uk/about-brook/c-card-guidanceandwww.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng68PHE provides local intelligence and data and direct support to local authorities to ensure that local Sexual Health, Reproductive Health and HIV services are best designed for local population needs. PHE commissioned ‘Making it Work’, a guidance document on whole system commissioning of sexual health, reproductive health and HIV services:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/408357/Making_it_work_revised_March_2015.pdfPHE has run a series of local workshops with commissioners and providers to use surveillance, monitoring and quality assurance data to improve the effective targeting of resources and improve the quality of national chlamydia screening for young people.PHE funds the delivery of different aspects of sexual health promotion including addressing HIV in those communities most at-risk of infection and the provision of authoritative information on reproductive and sexual health including sexually transmitted infections. PHE also co-commissions with participating local authorities a national on-line HIV self-sampling service.

Incontinence

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to NHS England's publication of 15 November 2015, Excellence in continence care, what progress his Department has made on measuring any reduction in (a) inappropriate or unnecessary catheterisation and (b) catheter associated urinary tract infections; and what statistics are collated to confirm progress that has been made.

Steve Brine: This information is not collected centrally.

Incontinence

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to NHS England's publication of 15 November 2015, Excellence in continence care, what progress his Department has made in measuring (a) any reduction in the number of prescriptions for catheters, (b) out-patient appointments, (c) surgical interventions and (d) costs relating to pads and other incontinence products; and what statistics are collated to confirm progress that has been made.

Steve Brine: This information is not collected centrally.

Nurses: Migrant Workers

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many non-UK EU national nurses were employed by the NHS in each of the last five years.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS Digital publishes workforce statistics and the following table shows the number of non-United Kingdom European Union national nurses employed by the National Health Service in the last five years.NHS Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS): Qualified nurses and health visitors in NHS trusts and clinical commissioning groups in England by nationality grouping as at 31 March each specified year (headcount) Non UK, EU national nurses and health visitors201722,232201621,030201516,888201413,09120139,942Source: NHS Digital, Provisional NHS HCHS quarterly workforce statisticsNationality is self-reported by individuals. There are a number of staff where no nationality has been identified, at March 2017 88,000 had no nationality identifier

Cervical Cancer

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which engagements Ministers of his Department attended as part of Gynaecological Cancer Awareness Month in September 2017.

Steve Brine: Ministers have not attended any engagements as part of Gynaecological Cancer Awareness Month in September 2017 but support and have strong links with The Eve Appeal and Jo’s Trust.

Cancer

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made by NHS England on implementing recommendations 10, 11 and 64 of the Cancer Strategy for England since its publication in May 2016.

Steve Brine: In January 2016, the United Kingdom National Screening Committee (UK NSC) recommended that cytological screening should be replaced with the human papilloma virus (HPV) primary screening test as the first line of screening within UK national cervical screening programmes. Six providers are piloting primary testing for HPV within the National Health Service National Cervical Screening Programme in England, and NHS England has been working in partnership with Public Health England (PHE) to determine the most clinically safe and effective way of implementing this change into the programme by the end of December 2019. The UK NSC reviews its recommendations regularly, usually on a three year cycle. On the advice of the UK NSC, NHS England is introducing a new easier to use home testing screening kit, which supports early diagnosis of bowel cancer from April 2018. Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) for haemoglobin will replace Faecal Occult Blood testing (FOBt) from April 2018. FIT is likely to increase the uptake of bowel screening by 7%, as evidenced in the FIT pilot in England where the test was found to be more favourable for the public. FIT will contribute to the reduction of inequalities in screening and cancer outcomes. Upon implementation, NHS England will review the opportunities that general practitioners have to help maximise uptake of this screening programme amongst their population. Bowel Scope Screening continues to be rolled out with full roll out anticipated for 2020/21. NHS England has worked with PHE, charities, academics, patients and carers to develop a new national metric on quality of life, based on the established Patient Reported Outcome Measures questionnaires, which will be tested in five Cancer Alliances from September 2017. Based on evaluation of the testing phase, national roll-out will begin in 2019.

Anorexia

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many diagnosed cases of anorexia there have been among people aged under 30 in the last three years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information requested is shown in the table. Count of finished admission episodes (FAEs)1 with a primary diagnosis2 of anorexia3 , where the patient age was under 30 years, 2013-14 to 2015-16. Activity in English National Health Service Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sectorYearFAEs2013-141,8542014-151,8322015-161,803 Notes:1A FAE is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period. 2Primary diagnosisThe primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and 7 prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital. 3 International Classification of Diseases ICD-10 CodesThe following ICD-10 codes classify anorexia:F50.0 Anorexia nervosaF50.1 Atypical anorexia nervosa Source: HES, NHS Digital

Primary Health Care

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the commissioning process for primary medical care services under circumstances where no prospective providers come forward.

Steve Brine: NHS England has a statutory responsibility to ensure that all patients have access to high-quality primary medical care services and enters into contractual arrangements with a range of general practitioner providers to secure those services for the population of England. The commissioning process to secure services includes, where necessary, approaches to stimulate the provider market. These include engaging with patients and the public, and hosting provider events, working with professional representative groups and other key stakeholders. Options available to commissioners include: - Procurement through an Alternative Provider Medical Services contract, which allow the widest range of providers to bid for delivery; - Re-procurement through General Medical Services or Personal Medical Services contracts, which are contracts that can only be held by general practitioners or wider members of the National Health Service family; and - List dispersal in the case of generally small practices where there is reasonable provision from neighbouring practices.

Marske Medical Centre

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the effect of the closure of Marske Medical Centre on the costs of travel for patients who must travel further to access GP services.

Steve Brine: South Tees Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) made the decision to close Marske Medical Practice after four unsuccessful attempts find a new provider for the service. The practice therefore closed on 30 June 2017. The CCG continues to support patients following the closure and the great majority of them have re-registered with nearby practices, which have increased staffing levels to manage demand. At this stage the CCG has not assessed travel costs for patients who may need to travel further to see their general practitioner.

Hospitals: Parking

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was raised by hospital parking charges in (a) Warrington, (b) the North West and (c) England in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Mr Philip Dunne: Data is not collected centrally on income earned from parking charges by the National Health Service.

Abortion

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many abortion-related complications have occurred at clinics run by (a) the British Pregnancy Advisory Service and (b) Marie Stopes International in each year from July 2015 to July 2017.

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many abortions (a) Marie Stopes International and (b) the British Pregnancy Advisory Service carried out in each year from 2011 to 2016.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The number of abortions with complications, by provider, for England and Wales residents from July 2015 to December 2016 is set out in the following table: Number of procedures with a complicationJuly 2015 to June 2016July 2016 to December 2016Total: July 2015 to December 2016British Pregnancy Advisory Service314Marie Stopes International51217 Notes:Complications include haemorrhage, uterine perforation and/or sepsis and are those reported up to the time of discharge from the place of termination.Data is not available for 2017. The number of abortions, by provider, for England and Wales residents from 2011 to 2016 is set out below: British Pregnancy Advisory ServiceMarie Stopes International201153,02854,1052012 155,52254,982201355,26157,542201456,84757,633201557,69960,670201660,89659,685 Note:1 Figures for 2012 have been estimated, due to missing clinic information.

Benzodiazepines

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what data his Department collected on benzodiazepine dependence relating to 2016.

Steve Brine: Data specific to this question is not held centrally.

Pregnancy

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to page 4 of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' report, The Management of Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy and Hypermesis Gravidarum, published in June 2016, what steps he is taking to implement the recommendation that all therapeutic measures should have been tried before offering termination of a wanted pregnancy.

Mr Philip Dunne: We expect clinicians to follow national guidelines and standards. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists clinical guideline “The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion” sets out that “All women requesting an abortion will require a discussion to determine the degree of certainty of their decision and their understanding of its implications as part of the process of gaining consent”. In the case of women suffering from nausea and vomiting in pregnancy and hyperemesis gravidarum clinicians will wish to consider whether all therapeutic measures have been tried, to ensure that the woman is giving fully informed consent.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

Danielle Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many cases of hospital and healthcare-acquired infections have been diagnosed by the NHS in England in each of the last 10 years.

Steve Brine: Public Health England (PHE) publishes national statistics on four healthcare and hospital acquired infections; Clostridium difficile infections (CDI), Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), methicillin sensitive staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and Escherichia coli (E. coli).  The data from the last 10 years, where available, can be found in the Annual Epidemiological Commentary: Mandatory MRSA, MSSA and E. coli bacteraemia and C. difficile infection data 2016/17 available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/634675/Annual_epidemiological_commentary_2017.pdf

Nurses: Labour Turnover

Danielle Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what percentage of new nurses recruited by the NHS in the last 12 months remain in full-time employment in the NHS; and what the retention rates among new recruits were in (a) 2000, (b) 2005 and (c) 2010.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS Digital publishes quarterly data on turnover of staff working in the National Health Service in England. 59.9% of all new nurses recruited by the NHS are in full time employment at the end of the 12 month period between May 2010 to May 2011. 59.3% of all new nurses recruited by the NHS are in full time employment at the end of the 12 month period between May 2016 to May 2017. Data prior to 2009 is not available. Source: NHS Digital, Provisional NHS Hospital and Community Health Service monthly workforce statistics.

*No heading*

Danielle Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting time was for cancer patients to receive radiotherapy treatment following their operations in each of the last 10 years.

Steve Brine: The information requested is not held centrally.

Nurses: Labour Turnover

Danielle Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what percentage of nurses employed by the NHS in full-time positions 12 months ago remain in full-time employment in the NHS today; and what the retention rates for full-time nursing staff in (a) 2000, (b) 2005 and (c) 2010.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS Digital publishes quarterly data on turnover of staff working in the National Health Service in England. 82.9% of nurses who were employed by the NHS in full time position in May 2016 were identified as employed by the NHS in a full-time position in May 2017. 85.6% of nurses who were employed by the NHS in full time position in May 2010 were identified as employed by the NHS in a full-time position in May 2011. Data prior to 2009 is not available. Source: NHS Digital, Provisional NHS Hospital and Community Health Service monthly workforce statistics

Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust: Recruitment

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many interim posts were created by Alder Hey since that trust started managing Liverpool Community Health Trust; and what the nature of each such post was.

Mr Philip Dunne: Alder Hey has appointed to only one interim role since the commencement of the management contract on 1 May, a senior communications advisor. This role was to cover a gap in capacity following the departure of the previous Director of Communications, so was not a post created by Alder Hey. As part of the management contract, senior roles at Liverpool Community Health Trust have been taken on by the Alder Hey Executive Team. This was not possible for the Communications post as the job holder as at 1 May was about to leave the organisation.

Postnatal Depression: Mental Health Services

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that new mothers' mental health problems are identified as early as possible.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Promoting good maternal and perinatal mental health is a key priority for this Government, as set out in the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health. The Department is investing £365 million between 2015/16 to 2020/21 in perinatal mental health services, and NHS England is leading a transformation programme to ensure that by 2020/21 at least 30,000 more women each year are able to access evidence-based specialist mental health care during the perinatal period. A key element of the transformation programme is to increase awareness and skills across the workforce, supporting better identification of perinatal mental illness, early intervention and consequently improved recovery rates.

Department of Health: Cycling

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many civil servants in his Department made use of a cycle-to-work scheme in each of the last five years.

Mr Philip Dunne: The information is shown in the following table: 201221201319201418201522201619

Organs: Donors

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he has plans to introduce an opt-out system for organ donation; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Since the launch of the United Kingdom-wide Taking Organ Transplantation to 2020 Strategy in July 2013, organ donation rates have increased by 7% and transplant rates by 6% mainly through a strengthening of the donation infrastructure (e.g. increased specialist nurses, improved retrieval arrangements). In 2016-17, the UK had the highest ever deceased donor and transplant rates with 1,413 deceased donors and 3,710 transplants and there are now 24 million people on the Organ Donor Register. However, three people still die every day in need of an organ transplant. We have, therefore, announced that we will launch a 12 week consultation, before the end of this year, on increasing rates of organ donation, including a new “opt out” system of consent for England. The consultation will seek views on:- How to increase rates of organ donation, particularly from BAME communities;- How the issue of consent should be managed within the NHS;- How technology could help people to discuss their preferences with family; and- How opt out could work in practice, the safeguards needed and how families could be supported.The Government will carefully consult, listen and take account of the views from people from a diverse range of ethnic, religious and cultural communities when considering any changes to the law. We are still committed to campaigns to raise awareness, and encourage families and friends to discuss their wishes on organ donation.

Mersey Care NHS Trust: Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the forecast year-end position of (a) Alder Hey and (b) Merseycare is in 2017-18; whether NHS England or any other funding body provide financial support to (i) Alder Hey and (ii) Merseycare to help those organisations manage underlying financial pressures; what plans those organisations have to manage such pressures; and how much cash those organisations currently hold.

Mr Philip Dunne: In 2017/18 Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust is forecasting a £0.1 million surplus. As at Month 4 (July 2017) Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust held £11.3 million cash. In 2017/18 to date, Alder Hey have not received any financial support for underlying pressures. They are not forecasting a requirement for support during 2017/18. In 2017 Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust submitted to NHS Improvement a two year operating plan covering 2017/19. This included its financial plan to deliver its planned surplus, including managing financial pressures. In 2017/18 Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust is forecasting a £5.2 million surplus. As at Month 4 (July 2017) Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust held £26.6 million cash. In 2017/18, Mersey Care are not anticipating receiving any financial support to manage underlying financial pressures. In 2017 Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust submitted to NHS Improvement a two year operating plan covering 2017/19. This included its financial plan to deliver its planned surplus, including managing financial pressures.

Community Health Services: Liverpool

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the amount spent by (a) Alder Hey and (b) Merseycare on the bid to run Liverpool Community Trust; and whether any consultants were involved in that process.

Mr Philip Dunne: This information is not held centrally.

Care Homes: Standards

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the quality of care homes since the publication of the report of the Care Quality Commission, The state of adult social care services 2014 to 2017, on 6 July 2017; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: While this report shows that 79% of inspected adult social care services in England were rated good or outstanding, it is completely unacceptable that standards in some settings are below those rightly expected by care users and their families.The Department is working with organisations from across the social care sector to implement Quality Matters – a commitment to improving quality to make a real difference for service users, carers, families and everyone working in the sector.The Department will also be consulting on the future of social care. The consultation will set out options to improve the social care system and to put it on a more secure financial footing and address issues related to the quality of care and variation in practice.

Cataracts: Medical Treatments

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether a clinical and financial risk analysis has been carried out on the proposal to restrict patient access to blue-light filtering intraocular lenses in the NICE draft clinical guideline on cataracts in adults: management.

Steve Brine: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has advised that it made recommendations for blue-light filtering lenses in the draft cataract guideline based on a systematic review of both the clinical and economic evidence for their use. This considered the potential benefits, harms and costs of the technology. All of the recommendations in the draft guideline, including the recommendation on blue-light filtering lenses, are not yet final and are subject to post-consultation changes based on the feedback received from stakeholders during the consultation. NICE expects to publish final guidance on 24 October 2017. Full details of the consideration of the intraocular lenses can be found in chapter 8 of the full draft guideline available at:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/gid-cgwave0741/documents/draft-guideline

Health Visitors: Greater London

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many health visitors were employed in (a) Greater London and (b) the London Borough of Newham in each year since 2010.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS Digital publishes workforce statistics and the following table shows the number of health visitors employed in Greater London and the London Borough of Newham at 30 September 2010 to 2016. Data for May 2017 is also provided as this is the latest available. The number of health visitors employed by National Health Service organisations and reported through the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) shows a reduction to previous recent years. However this is not a complete picture of the health visitor workforce who may also be employed by non-NHS organisations including social enterprises, private sector organisations and increasingly the local authorities themselves. There is no complete picture of this workforce so it is not possible to tell if the reductions reported through ESR are real reductions or simply transfer of employment to non-NHS organisations and the below table should be interpreted with this in mind. NHS Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS): Health visitors in NHS trusts and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in Greater London and the London Borough of Newham as at the last day of each specified month Full-time equivalentSeptember-2010September-2011September-2012September-2013September-2014September-2015September-2016May-2017Greater London1,0741,0561,1181,1931,4111,6391,5561,450of which: London Borough of Newham--3639375433Source: NHS Digital, Provisional NHS HCHS monthly workforce statistics.Note: Data for the London Borough of Newham relates to those employed by NHS Newham CCG and Barts Health NHS Trust.

Dental Services: Contracts

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the total value of undelivered contracted units of dental activity in NNS dental contracts in England was in each year from 2012 to 2017.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many contracted units of dental activity were not delivered through National Health Service dental contracts in England in each year from 2012 to 2017.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for how many NHS dental contracts in England were not all contracted units of dental activity delivered in each year from 2012 to 2017.

Steve Brine: The table below shows:- the contracted units of dental activity not delivered through National Health Service dental contracts;- total value of under delivered contracted units of dental activity; and- number of contracts where not all contracted units of dental activity were delivered in England, for each year from 2012/13- 2016/17. 2012/132013/142014/152015/162016/17Contracted units of dental activity not delivered through NHS dental contracts in England (to 100% level)5,210,5853,812,7583,799,6334,352,7384,363,613Total value of under delivered contracted units of dental activity in NHS dental contracts in England (to 100% level) (£)113,854,57895,227,354105,711,840120,090,256128,842,469NHS dental contracts in England where not all contracted units of dental activity delivered in each year (to 100% level)3,3202,6592,7042,6882,409 - The table includes contracts closed during the yearNotes:- Contracted units of dental activity not delivered through NHS dental contracts does not assume that up to 4% of under delivery is carried forward by the contractor, for delivery in the subsequent year (up to 4% under delivery is a contractual tolerance managed by commissioners).

Community Health Services: Liverpool

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to award the contract to appoint a provider of Liverpool community trust services; and what steps his Department is taking to monitor the application of NHS improvement rules relating to the (a) voting system used by Liverpool Community Health (LCH) staff members and (b) number of interim LCH posts created by Alder Hey since it was awarded the interim management contract for LCH.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS Improvement is currently running a competitive process to select a National Health Service organisation to acquire Liverpool Community Health services. They aim to announce the preferred provider in October 2017 and – subject to approval by NHS Improvement of a business case – hope to transfer services to the new provider on 1 April 2018. NHS Improvement agreed a process of staff engagement with Liverpool Community Health Staff Side representatives. This included prospective providers presenting their proposals to Liverpool Community Health staff followed by the opportunity for Liverpool Community Health staff to ask questions. Staff were then invited to complete a feedback form giving their views on their preferred provider. This information will be available to the NHS Improvement Evaluation Panel but is not part of the Panel’s formal scoring and ranking of the proposals. Alder Hey has appointed to only one interim role since the commencement of the management contract on 1 May, a senior communications advisor. This role was to cover a gap in capacity following the departure of the previous Director of Communications, so was not a post created by Alder Hey. As part of the management contract, senior roles at Liverpool Community Health have been taken on by the Alder Hey Executive Team. However, this was not possible for the Communications post, as the job holder as at 1 May was about to leave the organisation.

Cataracts

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has received on the final scope of the NICE draft clinical guideline on cataracts in adults: management.

Steve Brine: The Department has received no representations relating to the final scope of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence draft clinical guideline on cataracts in adults: management. The Department has received one Commons written Parliamentary Question and three Lords written Parliamentary Questions regarding the draft guidance.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of (a) disinfectant and (b) bleach on the incidence and severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Steve Brine: Public Health England (PHE) has not conducted any assessment on the effects of disinfectant or bleach on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Preliminary research by scientists at Harvard University and the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research found an association between an increase in the incidence of COPD in nurses that frequently used bleach and other cleaning products. This is the first to report such an effect. PHE will monitor any further developments and research in this area.

Orphan Drugs

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the ability of NICE to assess orphan treatments as part of its (i) single technology appraisal and (ii) highly specialised technology programmes; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent, expert body responsible for developing authoritative, evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on whether drugs and other treatments represent an effective use of NHS resources. The methods and processes it uses in the development of its guidance are internationally respected have been developed through extensive engagement with a full range of stakeholders, including the Department, and are periodically reviewed to ensure that they remain fit for purpose. NICE has assessed, and been able to recommend, a number of orphan medicines through its technology appraisal and highly specialised technology programmes. NHS commissioners are legally required to fund drugs and treatments recommended in NICE technology appraisal and highly specialised technology guidance.

Medical Treatments

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, (a) which treatments have been assessed by NICE in the last two years, (b) whether each treatment was recommended, optimised or not recommended and (c) what the estimated population size was for each treatment.

Steve Brine: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body that provides guidance on the prevention and treatment of ill health and promotion of good health and social care. We are informed by NICE that the information requested can be accessed via the attached link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/published?type=hst,ta&fromdate=September%202015&todate=September%202017

Babies: Food

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when his Department plans to commission the next Infant Feeding Survey.

Jackie Doyle-Price: There are at present no plans to commission any further Infant Feeding Surveys.

Breast Feeding

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what financial support the NHS (a) provides to peer support breast-feeding and (b) has provided to such groups in each of the last seven years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS England holds no record of any financial support which will have been offered to fund peer-supported breast feeding. If the National Health Service does provide such schemes they would be within a local clinical commissioning group, rather than held centrally.

Maternity Services

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which maternity units in England have attained Baby Friendly Initiative accreditation.

Mr Philip Dunne: This information is publicly available at the following link:https://unicefbfi.secure.force.com/Events/AwardsA list of all United Kingdom maternity hospitals, health visiting services and universities at various stages of Baby Friendly accreditation are displayed.

Obesity: Children

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment has been made of the relationship between the number of fast food outlets in any neighbourhood and the levels of childhood obesity in those neighbourhoods since the report of Public Health England of 31 March 2017 on Health matters: obesity and the food environment.

Steve Brine: No national assessment has been made since the March 2017 publication ‘Health matters: obesity and the food environment’. In 2016, prior to the Health Matters publication, Public Health England (PHE) published findings of an analysis which indicated an association between the density of fast food outlets and areas of deprivation, with the poorest areas of the country having a higher density of takeaways. This intelligence sits alongside health survey data showing that prevalence of child overweight and obesity rises with deprivation. More information can be accessed here:www.gov.uk/government/publications/obesity-and-the-environment-briefing-regulating-the-growth-of-fast-food-outletsIn July 2017 the Government updated the Planning Practice Guidance on health and wellbeing (www.gov.uk/guidance/health-and-wellbeing) to include a new section detailing how local planning authorities, when considering how to promote healthier weight environments, could have regard to locations where children and young people congregate, as well as to evidence indicating high levels of obesity and deprivation.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what safeguards are in place to prevent clinical commissioning groups from decommissioning IVF services completely.

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of whether decisions by clinical commissioning groups to decommission fertility services contravene the principle of equality of access to NHS services based on clinical need not ability to pay; and if he will make a statement.

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has made an assessment of the (a) financial, (b) emotional and (c) medical implications for couples experiencing infertility problems of IVF services being decommissioned by clinical commissioning groups.

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many clinical commissioning groups have decommissioned IVF services in each of the last five years.

Mr Philip Dunne: It is the Government's policy that clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) should have regard to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline on the assessment and treatment of people with fertility problems when commissioning services for which they are responsible. This includes the recommendation in the guideline that three cycles of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) be offered to qualifying couples where the woman is under the age of 40 and one cycle where the woman is between the ages of 40 and 42. The NICE guideline is evidence based best practice for clinicians but is not mandatory. The availability of National Health Service funded fertility treatment is and always has been a matter for local determination. Decisions on the level of service provision are underpinned by clinical insight and knowledge of local healthcare needs and priorities.No such assessment has been made. The impact of fertility problems on patients is included in the NICE fertility guideline. The Government therefore recognises that infertility can and does have a powerful and lasting impact on the quality of life of those affected. To provide safeguards against CCGs decommissioning IVF services completely, all IVF service changes must meet the four tests for local reconfiguration plans set out in the Government Mandate to NHS England. These are:- Support from commissioners;- Strong public and patient engagement;- Clear clinical evidence base; and- Support for patient choice.There are no plans to introduce any additional duties in respect of fertility services. Information about CCGs that have decommissioned IVF services is not collected centrally.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Minimum Wage: Non-payment

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many companies in each region have been (a) named and shamed and (b) prosecuted for non-payment of the minimum wage in each of last three years for which figures are available.

Margot James: In the last 12 months we have named 592 employers for non-payment of the National Minimum Wage. The name and location of these employers is recorded within press notices, which can be found on www.gov.uk:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/record-number-of-employers-named-and-shamed-for-underpayinghttps://www.gov.uk/government/news/record-2-million-back-pay-identified-for-13000-of-the-uks-lowest-paid-workersGeographic information of employers prosecuted for non-compliance with the National Minimum Wage is published in the Government’s 2017 evidence to the Low Pay Commission on compliance and enforcement: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-minimum-wage-government-evidence-to-the-low-pay-commission-on-compliance-and-enforcement-2017.

Partnerships: Scotland

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when and where  the (a) register in which corporate partners are entered and details of their state and legislation numbers and (b) other additional information required by the Scottish Partnerships (Register of People with Significant Control) Regulations 2017 will be published.

Margot James: All information provided by Scottish Limited Partnerships and Scottish Qualifying Partnerships under the Scottish Partnerships (Register of People with Significant Control) Regulations 2017 is available on the Companies House Service website.

Partnerships: Scotland

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many qualifying Scottish limited partnerships registered before 24 July 2017 that failed to submit the additional registration information required in Part 3 of the Scottish Partnerships (Register of People with Significant Control) Regulations 2017 by the deadline are to be prosecuted in accordance with those regulations.

Margot James: Part 3 of the Scottish Partnerships (Register of People with Significant Control) Regulations 2017 requires the registration of Scottish qualifying partnerships. This applies only to general partnerships constituted under the law of Scotland. A Scottish Limited Partnership is not required to submit this information.

Partnerships: Scotland

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many qualifying Scottish limited partnerships registered before 24 July 2017 have submitted the additional registration information required in Part 3 of the Scottish Partnerships (Register of People with Significant Control) Regulations 2017.

Margot James: Part 3 of the Scottish Partnerships (Register of People with Significant Control) Regulations 2017 requires the registration of Scottish qualifying partnerships. This applies only to general partnerships constituted under the law of Scotland. A Scottish Limited Partnership is not required to submit this information.

Partnerships: Scotland

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many qualifying Scottish limited partnerships registered after 24 July 2017 have submitted the additional registration information required in Part 3 of the Scottish Partnerships (Register of People with Significant Control) Regulations 2017.

Margot James: Part 3 of the Scottish Partnerships (Register of People with Significant Control) Regulations 2017 requires the registration of Scottish qualifying partnerships. This applies only to general partnerships constituted under the law of Scotland. A Scottish Limited Partnership is not required to submit this information.

Supermarkets: Food

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has held with representatives of large supermarkets in their stocking of locally produced food and vegetables in 2017.

Margot James: Decisions about sourcing are a matter for each individual business. Government is working with industry to promote and grow our world-leading food and farming industry - encouraging enterprise and boosting productivity right across the food chain.

Horizon 2020

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how the Government plans to support research collaboration with other countries in the event that the UK ceases to receive funding through the Horizon 2020 programme after March 2019.

Joseph Johnson: This Government is committed to ensuring the UK remains among the best places in the world for science and innovation. This is why we are increasing research and development investment by £4.7 billion over the period 2017-18 to 2020-21, an increase of around 20% to total government R&D spending, more than any increase in any parliament since 1979.This Government wants the UK to be the go-to place for researchers, innovators and investors across the world, and we intend to secure the right outcome for the UK research base as we exit the European Union.As my Rt Hon. Friend the Prime Minister has said, we would welcome an agreement to continue to collaborate with our European partners on major science, research, and technology initiatives. However it is too early to speculate on the UK’s future relationship with specific EU research programmes, including Horizon 2020 and successor programmes.On 6 September we published a future partnership paper on collaboration on science and innovation. As part of the new deep and special partnership with the EU, recognising our shared interest in maintaining and strengthening research collaboration, the UK will seek an agreement that promotes science and innovation across Europe now and in the future.UK businesses and universities should continue to bid for competitive EU funds while we remain a member of the EU and we will work with the Commission to ensure payment when funds are awarded. The Government will underwrite the payment of such awards, even when specific projects continue beyond the UK’s departure from the EU. This includes awards that are bid for before exit that are successful after exit.The Government is committed to ensuring the UK remains a world leader in international research and innovation.

Climate Change Convention

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps the Government has taken to support the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Claire Perry: The Government is committed to tackling climate change and to the Paris Agreement.We have been among the most successful countries in the developed world in growing our economy while reducing emissions. Since 1990, we have cut emissions by more than 40 per cent while our economy has grown by two thirds. This is the best performance amongst G7 nations. PWC has recently found the UK is leading the G20 in clean growth, decarbonising faster than any other country.This year the Government has announced a number of policy measures to support low carbon transition including: confirmation of the phase out of unabated coal power generation in Great Britain by 2025; new measures to support green finance; and £246 million for the ‘Faraday Challenge’ to support the design, development and manufacture of electric vehicles. We have held a Contracts for Difference auction which resulted in the cost of new offshore wind projects from 2022-23 being 50% lower than the first auction held in 2015. We will publish our Clean Growth Strategy shortly which will set out how we will reduce emissions through the 2020s.The Government is working internationally to support implementation of the Paris Agreement. We actively participate in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations to agree detailed rules that will underpin the Paris Agreement. We are working closely with EU partners to agree the legislative package that will set out how the EU will meet its commitments under the Paris Agreement. The International Climate Fund of £5.8bn between 2016-2020 is helping to unlock investment in developing countries and raise ambition; and through our foreign policy network the UK is engaging countries around the world on delivery of their Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement.

Partnerships: Scotland

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many Scottish limited partnerships are eligible under the terms of the Scottish Partnerships (Register of People with Significant Control) Regulations 2017.

Margot James: There are approximately 33,000 Scottish Limited Partnerships (SLPs) registered with Companies House. All registered SLPs are eligible under the terms of the Scottish Partnerships (Register of People with Significant Control) Regulations 2017.

Social Services: Minimum Wage

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 7790, what proportion of social care employers found to be non-complaint with the minimum wage have failed to meet the minimum criteria for naming under his Department's naming scheme.

Margot James: Of the 183 care sector employers found not to have complied with the National Minimum Wage regulations;74 met the minimum criteria of the naming scheme and have been named so far. This number will change as cases are considered as part of future naming rounds.34 employers had arrears less than £100 and are therefore not eligible for naming.2 employers met the exceptional criteria and have not been named. Of the remaining cases, 69 will not be considered for naming as (a) the arrears in the cases were identified solely via self-correction or (b) the case was opened by HMRC before the revised scheme came into effect on 1 October 2013. The remaining cases will be considered in future rounds.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Cycling

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many civil servants in his Department made use of a cycle-to-work scheme in each of the last five years.

Margot James: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) was created on 14 July 2016. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) were merged to create this new department.The table below shows the number of civil service employees in BEIS, and before BEIS was created, the combined total within DECC and BIS, over the last five years.YearNumber of Civil Service Employees using Cycle to Work Scheme2017 (until 30 September 2017)7820167920151112014105201347

Employment: Disability

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on incorporating disability employment policy in the wider industrial strategy.

Claire Perry: Ministers and officials in the Department have regular discussions with the Department for Work and Pensions about a range of issues including disability employment, industrial strategy and the Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices.Areas of collaboration between our Departments include those outlined in the publications “Fuller Working Lives: a partnership approach” and “Work, Health and Disability: Improving Lives”. Our Industrial Strategy’s core objective will be to boost earning power for everyone; an inclusive economic policy is vital in achieving this.

New Businesses: Housing Benefit

Peter Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Work and Pensions on the criteria for assessing the income of housing benefit claimants trying to set up a small business.

Margot James: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Department for Work and Pensions have regular discussions across a wide range of topics of mutual interest, including ways in which to best support those seeking to set up a business. However, no specific discussions have taken place specific to housing benefit claimants.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Females

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2017 to Question 9015, how many women work in the Industrial Strategy Team.

Claire Perry: As of 17th September 2017, the core Industrial Strategy Team within BEIS is led by Alexandra Jones, and employs 20 men and 18 women.

British Standards Institution

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what changes to the funding and responsibilities of the British Standards Institute will be made when the UK leaves the EU.

Joseph Johnson: The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) are not EU bodies, although they have a special status in the EU. We are working with BSI, the UK’s national standards body and the UK member of CEN and CENELEC, to ensure that our future relationship with CEN and CENELEC continues to support a productive, open and competitive business environment in the UK and to ensure that funding provided to BSI by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy also supports this goal.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Females

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2017 to Question 9015, how many and what proportion of (a) civil servants and (b) advisors working directly on the industrial strategy are women.

Claire Perry: I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave her on 13 September 2017, to Question 9015:http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2017-09-06/9015/.We are unable to provide an answer as this information is not centrally held and could only be obtained at disproportionate costs.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers of his Department have had with the Chief Scientific Adviser in his Department in the last three months.

Joseph Johnson: Between 14th June 2017 and 14th September 2017 the Chief Scientific Adviser for the Department for Business, Energy (BEIS) and Industrial Strategy has met with:(a) the Secretary of State for BEIS six times in person and four times by telephone; and(b) BEIS Ministers six times in person and once by telephone.

Science: Venture Capital

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps to increase the availability of scale-up capital for life science companies.

Joseph Johnson: The Government is strongly committed to the success of the Life Sciences in the UK and is already taking action in key areas to consolidate and build on the strength of the sector. Government welcomes the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy recently launched by Sir John Bell and will respond through a sector deal negotiation.As part of this commitment, the Government is working hard to support businesses and entrepreneurs across the UK to ensure they can access the finance and wider support they need to grow and have the right conditions for companies to invest long-term. Through the British Business Bank (BBB) Venture Capital Catalyst Fund a £400m expansion was announced at Autumn Statement 2016, which aims to crowd in a total of £1bn for companies looking to scale up.In addition, work is continuing through HM Treasury’s Patient Capital Review to look into long-term investment in innovative companies with life sciences featuring highly. The Department is working closely with HM Treasury and recommendations from the review will be made to my right hon. Friend the Chancellor for the Autumn Budget.

Food: Waste Disposal

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government has considered including in its Clean Growth Plan the provision of funding for local authorities to introduce separate food waste collections.

Claire Perry: The Government’s Clean Growth Strategy will be published shortly. This will set out our proposals for decarbonising the UK economy through the 2020s.We have already made good progress on food waste collection, with 52% of local authorities in England providing food waste collections in 2015/16, either separate or mixed with garden waste. This is an increase from 27% in 2009. The Waste & Resources Action Program (WRAP) has published guidance on increasing capture for food waste collection services and we encourage local authorities to take this into account when making decisions on services.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Pay

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many of his Department's staff had a pay increase (a) above, (b) at and (c) less than one per cent in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The requested information for Ministry of Defence (MOD) civilian staff, excluding Senior Civil Servants and those working in MOD agencies, is provided below:Percentage Increase201520162017More than 1%17,51019,67028,7501%002,220Less than 1%22,91020,7209,710Total40,42040,39040,680Figures have been rounded.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that the UK has the capacity to manufacture (a) parts for and (b) whole manned and unmanned fighter aircraft.

Harriett Baldwin: The Defence Aerospace and the Combat Air sector make a strategically important contribution to securing our military operational advantage and freedom of action, developing high-end technologies and a skilled workforce, and generates revenues and international influence through exports. UK industry leads the world in a number of technology, design and manufacturing capability areas, and maintaining those capabilities is in our national interest.In the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 we launched the Future Combat Air System Technology Initiative (FCAS TI) which is sustaining our design engineering capacity and skills, ensuring that the UK continues to be at the cutting edge of combat air technology. This includes our cooperation with France to design and build an Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle Demonstrator.Our investment in the F-35 programme has secured 15% workshare (by value) of every F-35 to be built in the global programme of 3,000 aircraft, sustaining high-end manufacturing capabilities, skills and capacity as well as providing enduring economic benefit. In addition, from early 2018 North Wales will be home to a global hub, providing maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrade services for F-35 avionic and aircraft components. Over the lifetime of the programme, the components for hundreds of European-based F-35 aircraft will be serviced and maintained at the site. Similarly our acquisition of, and success in exporting, Typhoon aircraft has provided a considerable manufacturing workload, particularly in the North West of England.The Ministry of Defence is considering our future combat air capability requirements and the best approach to delivering the UK's operational needs as well as maintaining our leading role in the combat air sector. This will involve detailed consideration of the industrial, prosperity, international and financial implications as well as a clear military requirement.

Defence: Industry

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to publish a defence industrial review.

Harriett Baldwin: The Ministry of Defence is actively involved in the cross-Government work on an industrial strategy. Many of the themes in this apply to defence, and we do not plan a separate defence industrial strategy or review. However, as part of the recently announced National Security and Capability Review, we are refreshing defence industrial policy and taking further action to help the UK's defence industry grow and compete successfully.

Armed Forces

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to remove the legal duty of care owed by his Department to Armed Forces personnel.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The hon. Member may be referring inaccurately to our consultation on Better Combat Compensation, on which I expect to announce our proposals shortly.

HMS Queen Elizabeth

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what jets are being used on HMS Queen Elizabeth until the F-35 comes into service.

Harriett Baldwin: HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH is currently undergoing a planned engineering period in Portsmouth, before returning to sea trials; she is not yet a fully operational platform.The Ministry of Defence has no plans to operate any jet aircraft from HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH other than the F-35B Lightning II, for which the Queen Elizabeth Class carriers have been specifically designed. We have taken delivery of 12 F-35B jets so far, and will have 14 by the end of the year.We plan to conduct first-of-class flying trials with F-35B in autumn 2018, as part of the programme to deliver an initial Carrier Strike capability by the end of 2020.

Boeing

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the value is of current Government procurement contracts with the Boeing Company.

Harriett Baldwin: The value of current contracts between the Ministry of Defence and Boeing is around £4.5 billion.The largest contract held is the Chinook through life customer support contract which is valued at over £2 billion and runs until 2040.

Hercules Aircraft

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the value of ex-Royal Air Force C-130J transport aircraft which are designated for export.

Harriett Baldwin: I am withholding information on sale values as its disclosure would prejudice commerical interests.

Warships: Shipbuilding

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 9, paragraph 13 of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, how the figure of £63 billion of Government spending on procurement and support for surface ships and submarines was calculated.

Harriett Baldwin: As outlined in the Defence Equipment Plan Report 2016 we intend to spend around £19 billion on building ships and submarines and £44 billion on supporting ships and submarines over the next 10 years, totalling £63 billion. As outlined in the report, for ships this includes the completion of the new Queen Elizabeth Aircraft Carriers, the construction of the Type 26 frigate, four new Tide Class tankers, new Offshore Patrol Vessels and the implementation of a Common Support Model. For submarines it includes support to those in service, delivery of the Astute and Dreadnought submarine programmes and the Nuclear Warhead Capability Sustainment Programme, plus procurement of new nuclear propulsion plants.

Warships: Shipbuilding

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 17, figure 2 of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, what recent representation he has received from trade union officials regarding challenges related to procurement at pace.

Harriett Baldwin: During the development of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, the Ministry of Defence engaged with the Trade Unions and will continue to do so.

Type 31 Frigates

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 27, chapter 4 of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, whether he expects export credit guarantees to apply to Type 31e frigates exported to foreign navies.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government stands ready to consider the provision of export credit guarantees in support of the export of Type 31e on a case by case basis.

Type 26 Frigates

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 22, paragraph 55 of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, what the rationale is for outlining a figure of 50 per cent total value for British made steel needed for Type 26 frigates; and if he will list the steels used to be used in that programme.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 22, paragraph 55 of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, how his Department monitors the sourcing of steel for its warship programmes.

Harriett Baldwin: The steel required for the construction of the Type 26 Frigates is sourced by our prime contractor, BAE Systems. UK suppliers are able to meet the specification for 50 per cent by value of the steel for the first batch of Type 26 Frigates and the steel is being sourced from mills in Scotland and Scunthorpe. The remaining steel required for the Type 26 Frigates cannot currently be sourced in the UK.Approximately 3,800 tonnes of steel are required for the construction of each ship, including structural steel plate at a range of thicknesses (from less than six millimetres (mm) to over 20mm) and sectional steel including bulb, channel, equal and unequal angle, flat bar and IPE steel beams.In respect of monitoring the sourcing of steel for warship programmes, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question 3946 on 18 July 2017 to the hon. Member for Aberavon (Stephen Kinnock).

Warships: Shipbuilding

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what role shipyards in Jarrow will play in the National Shipbuilding Strategy.

Harriett Baldwin: The National Shipbuilding Strategy introduces competition for all future naval shipbuilding programmes. We encourage all UK shipyards to take part in these competitions. Whether a shipyard wishes to bid for a competition is a commercial decision for them.

Defence: Procurement

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, what weight is attached to National Security Objective 3 in the marking criteria for competitive procurements.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, whether and how National Security Objective 3 is taken into account in single-source procurements.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, whether National Security Objective 3 applies to all competitive procurements.

Harriett Baldwin: National Security Objective 3 is about promoting our prosperity. This Government is committed to ensuring that defence procurement contributes to a more dynamic and productive economy. We strive to obtain the capabilities we need at the best value for the taxpayer, in a way that strengthens our economy and bolsters long-term prosperity.Each year, the Ministry of Defence awards a significant number of contracts, by means of both single source and competitive procurement. Procurers have to assess whether any of the issues set out in National Security Objective 3 are relevant to their procurement, as each contract is awarded on its own merit using a variety of criteria. Weighting of all relevant factors in procurement is applied on a case-by-case basis, but must not prejudice fair competition.Our forthcoming refreshed defence industrial policy will explain what further steps we are taking, including in defence procurement, to help the UK's defence and security industries grow and compete successfully.

Arms Trade: Trade Fairs

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) representations he has received and (b) discussions he has held at the Defence and Security Equipment International Conference 2017; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: All Defence Ministers attended the DSEI exhibition on at least one occasion between 11 September and 15 September 2017, meeting invited overseas official delegations and engaging with UK and international exhibitors. Discussions were wide ranging and varied from UK prosperity to international security.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the average time which it takes a local authority to remove an unauthorised encampment from public land; and what additional guidance and support the Government plans to provide to reduce the amount of time for such removals.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the effect of High Court injunctions against unauthorised encampments on the time taken to remove such encampments.

Mr Marcus Jones: I am aware of concerns regarding the effectiveness of steps taken against unauthorised encampments. The Secretary of State is currently considering what action might need to be taken to improve the situation.

Non-domestic Rates

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which local authorities have published details of the eligibility criteria for the £300 million discretionary relief fund to support businesses with increased rates bills; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of the £300 million discretionary rate relief fund to support businesses has been issued to ratepayers.

Mr Marcus Jones: Holding answer received on 14 September 2017



Many local authorities have made good progress in implementing their local discretionary schemes and have published the details of their eligibility criteria. Further to the Written Ministerial Statement I made on the 14 September on the progress of the Business Rates relief schemes announced at the Budget, I wrote to authorities encouraging them to speed up implementation. My Department will publish a list of authorities which have rebilled, shortly.

Housing: Fire Prevention

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will place in the Library copies of all correspondence between his Department and (a) local authorities, (b) the Local Government Association and (c) London councils in the last three years relating to residential fire safety.

Alok Sharma: We are unable to provide this information as to do so would be at disproportionate cost.

Department for Communities and Local Government: Pay

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many of his Department's staff had a pay increase (a) above, (b) at and (c) less than one per cent in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Mr Marcus Jones: Data for DCLG covers annual pay remit years for all staff eligible for a pay award. This does not include pay adjustments on promotion or new appointees not eligible for a pay award.Pay remits, which are drawn up in accordance with HMT guidelines to reflect an average 1 per cent spend, are signed off by the Secretary of State for delegated grades AO – G6. Pay awards for SCS staff are made in accordance with SSRB guidelines, overseen by the Cabinet OfficeData for 2014/15 includes contractual buy-out payments made in excess of 1 per cent as part of the Department’s pay reform exercise to move people off guaranteed pay progression.It was agreed as part of the second phase of Pay Reform in 2015/16 that additional contractual obligations could be funded outside of the 1 per cent. Salary increases below 1 per cent include part consolidated pay awards where the person was less than 1 per cent from the maximum of the pay range. In 2015/16 very few employees on legacy terms were due contractual milestones, so funds could be targeted at those on the new reformed terms, giving them slightly above the 1 per cent.Data for 2016/17 shows a limited number of staff receiving more than 1 per cent which includes uplifts to the new minima of pay ranges where these were increased by more than 1 per cent; and it includes transitional arrangements for Administrative Officers with adjustments greater than 1 per cent It also includes the SCS pay awards ranging from 0.7 per cent up to 2.3 per cent, in accordance with the SSRB guidelines, with an overall spend of 1 per cent of SCS paybill.Salary increases shown do not include contractual milestones to those few employees who remain on legacy terms. 2014/152015/162016/17 Number of Salary IncreasesMedian Salary IncreaseNumber of Salary IncreasesMedian Salary IncreaseNumber of Salary IncreasesMedian Salary IncreaseLess Than 1 %140.83%2760.53%11580.94%Equal To 1%161.00%61.00%81.00%Greater Than 1%11221.50%8691.16%521.94%Grand Total11521.50%11511.16%12180.94%

Energy: Housing

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what comparative assessment has been made of the energy efficiency of traditionally-built new homes with maximum wall and cavity insulation and that of timber-framed homes.

Alok Sharma: The department has not made a comparative assessment of the energy efficiency of traditionally built new homes with maximum wall and cavity insulation and that of timber framed homes.Our requirements are performance based so do not specify any particular form of construction. For new homes the energy requirements include minimum fabric and insulation performance standards irrespective of whether these homes are traditionally built or are timber framed.

Department for Communities and Local Government: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many civil servants in his Department are part of the Government Commercial Function; and how many of those civil servants have been seconded (a) outside of government and (b) in from outside of the government in each year since 2012.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department for Communities and Local Government has not transferred any civil servants to the Government Commercial Function to date.

Supported Housing: Finance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect on local authorities of the proposed reform of funding for supported housing.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to publish documents relating to the next round of consultation on proposals to reform the funding arrangements for supported housing.

Mr Marcus Jones: Developing a workable and sustainable funding model for supported housing is a priority for the Government. We will set out further details on our plans, including the role of local authorities, later in the Autumn.

Department for Communities and Local Government: Cycling

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many civil servants in his Department made use of a cycle-to-work scheme in each of the last five years.

Mr Marcus Jones: The number of Civil Servants making use of the Department's cycle-to-work scheme in each of the last five years is as follows: YearNumber of Civil Servants20132820142320151120163320177Grand Total102

Non-domestic Rates

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of charging full rates on vacant business premises in economically deprived areas.

Mr Marcus Jones: No assessment has been undertaken on the effect of charging full rates on vacant business premises in economically deprived areas. However, regulations made under the Local Government Finance Act 1988, provide exemptions from empty property rates if a property is unoccupied for 3 or (6 months if it qualifies as an industrial property).

Housing: Domestic Violence

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that victims of domestic violence who have no recourse to public funds are provided with accommodation when they approach their local authority.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to provide that local authorities are required to accommodate victims of domestic abuse who have no recourse to public funds.

Mr Marcus Jones: Domestic abuse is a devastating crime and we are determined to ensure no victim of domestic abuse is turned away from the support they need.Neither the Department for Communities and Local Government nor the Home Office issue prescriptive guidance on who should be admitted to a refuge - this is a decision for the local authority and the individual service. Eligibility for means-tested social security benefits depends on a person's immigration status in the UK and is not a local decision.In the 2015 Spending Review we dedicated £40 million of extra funding to support victims of domestic abuse. From this, we launched a £20 million fund for local authorities for accommodation-based support, specialist community and outreach services and service reform. This has funded 76 projects across England, of which 13 are providing support to victims of domestic abuse with no recourse to public funds.In addition, individuals on spousal visas whose relationships have permanently broken down as a result of domestic abuse can apply to the UK Visas and Immigration for limited leave to remain under the Destitute Domestic Violence (DDV) concession. This allows the individual to be moved to a safe environment whilst receiving appropriate support and advice.We have provided dedicated funding through the tampon tax to the Angelou Centre and Southall Black Sisters to pilot effective approaches to support for survivors of violence and abuse and their children with no recourse to public funds. Through the pilots, we are broadening our evidence base around the Destitute Domestic Violence concession. We will consider what further action is needed off the back of the evaluation of these projects.

Right to Buy Scheme

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to allow local authorities to keep more than 30 per cent of the money generated from the sale of a council home under the Right to Buy scheme to help fund the building of replacement homes.

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the replacement rate of social housing stock sold under Right to Buy since 2012.

Alok Sharma: Local authorities who wish to build replacement homes enter into an agreement with this Department that allows them to retain and spend all the additional Right to Buy receipts (after covering debt, transaction costs and previously planned income from receipts) on replacement homes. The local authority must ensure that no more than 30 per cent of the cost of the new homes comes from the Right to Buy receipt.The Department publishes data on Right to Buy replacements quarterly. These data are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-social-housing-sales.

Leasehold

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if his Department will take steps to assist residential leaseholders whose ground rents have risen substantially.

Alok Sharma: This Government is determined to make the housing market fairer. The public consultation, ‘Tackling Unfair Practices in the Leasehold Market’, looked at a range of measures, including ground rents, to help tackle unfair and unreasonable abuses of the leasehold system. The consultation closed on 19 September 2017. The Government is reviewing all responses and will respond in due course.

Energy Performance Certificates

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2017 to Question 7880, what steps his Department takes to assess what proportion of prospective tenants receive information as to (a) whether an energy certificate has been acquired and (b) what rating the property they are considering renting or leasing has been given; and if he will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: The Government does not hold or collect data to assess what proportion of prospective tenants receive information as to (a) whether an energy certificate has been acquired and (b) what rating the property they are considering renting or leasing has been given. However, the Government has published energy performance certificate data for buildings that are rented or let which includes the energy rating of the building which prospective tenants can access: https://epc.opendatacommunities.org/

Mayors: Sheffield City Region

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether an election will take place in 2018 to elect a Mayor for the Sheffield City Region.

Jake Berry: Parliament has legislated for a mayoral election in May 2018 in the Sheffield City Region, and the Government has no intention of seeking any further legislation to undo what has already been enacted.

Bed and Breakfast Accommodation

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to ensure that the Local Government Ombudsman publishes details of compensation award guidance in cases where homeless families are unlawfully placed in bed and breakfast accommodation for more than six weeks.

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that local housing authorities make homeless families aware that they are (a) entitled to compensation if they are unlawfully placed in bed and breakfast accommodation for longer than six weeks and (b) able to escalate a formal complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman in the event that such financial redress is not offered in compensation.

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what his Department's policy is on the intended start time for the six-week period specified in the Homelessness (Suitability of Accommodation)(England) Order 2003 (No.3326) in respect of the date on which (a) a homeless family accepts a placement in bed and breakfast and (b) that family moves into that accommodation.

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Answer of 15 September 2016 to Question 45358, on the Government's response to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, what progress his Department has made on the implementation of the recommendation that it should strictly implement that homeless families should spend no longer than six weeks in bed and breakfast accommodation.

Mr Marcus Jones: Time spent in temporary accommodation ensures no family is without a roof over their head. The Government is assisting areas to ensure that families spend no longer than 6 weeks in B&Bs, which includes protecting and maintaining the homelessness prevention funding at £315 million. We have also replaced Department of Work and Pension’s Temporary Accommodation Management Fee with a Flexible Homelessness Support Grant which local authorities can use more strategically to prevent and tackle homelessness. This amounts to £402 million over the two years from 2017/18.While the number of households in temporary accommodation is below the 2004 peak, the law is clear that households with dependent children should only be accommodated in B&B in an emergency and for no longer than six weeks, which commences when the household moves in.When a family is accommodated in a B&B, the local authority must provide written information that the period of accommodation should be no more than 6 weeks, after which the authority must secure alternative suitable accommodation. Under the law, any accommodation must be suitable.A small number of authorities (around 5 per cent) account for 80 per cent of breaches. The Government has been clear that in normal circumstances the long term use of B&B accommodation for families with children is both inappropriate and unlawful and we are determined to stop this practice. There are councils who are successfully reducing the number and length of time families are spending in B&B accommodation and we expect areas in similar situations to follow their example.The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman publishes guidance on remedying personal injustice where one of their investigations reveals there has been fault, including investigations in relation to Homelessness. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman publishes all decisions on complaints on their website, including any remedies they recommend.

Non-domestic Rates

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he or officials of his Department first consulted (a) local authorities and (b) software suppliers on the implementation timetable changes to business rates and business rates relief in 2017.

Mr Marcus Jones: Following the Chancellor’s announcement of the Business Rates Relief Schemes at Spring Budget 2017, on 9 March the Department published a Business Rates Information Letter to local authorities. This provided information on each of the three schemes, including draft allocations for the discretionary relief scheme and guidance on the Supporting Small Business Scheme. On 10 March the Department began discussions with a group of local authorities and the main software suppliers to discuss the implementation of the schemes and system requirements.The Department has continued to engage local authorities and software suppliers, encouraging authorities to speed up implementation and the technical guidance for the Supporting Small Business Scheme and Pubs Relief Scheme was published on the 20 June. On 14 September 2017, I made a Written Ministerial Statement, which set out the good progress made by some authorities and a commitment to publish a list of authorities that have rebilled across all three schemes.

Hospitals: Non-domestic Rates

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to ensure that NHS trusts pay an equivalent level of business rates to private hospitals.

Mr Marcus Jones: The business rate liability for individual NHS Trusts is based, as with other non-domestic properties, on the rateable value of the property or properties they occupy, as assessed by the independent Valuation Office Agency.A private hospital which is a charity and using their property wholly or mainly for charitable purposes may be entitled to 80 per cent rate relief in the normal way, as with all other eligible charities. Charities in the healthcare sector make an important contribution to our society and it is right they should benefit from rate relief.

Non-domestic Rates: Valuation

Mr Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to mitigate any detriment for businesses arising from the judgment in the Mazars v Woolway case.

Mr Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he or officials of his Department have raised concerns with (a) HM Revenue and Customs or (b) the Valuation Office Agency on the potential effects for businesses of the judgment in the Mazars v Woolway case.

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what research his Department has commissioned into the (a) effects on businesses of the judgment in the Mazars v Woolway case and (b) options which exist to prevent such negative effects.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Government is aware of the change in the Valuation Office Agency’s approach to assessing units within buildings of multiple occupation, which follows the Supreme Court judgement in the Mazars v Woolway case. The Government is considering the implications of this judgement. Following Budget 2016, the Government announced a wide-ranging package of measures to support rate payers, that will be worth £9 billion over the next five years.

Homelessness

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the criteria to be used for the allocation of the £61 million New Burdens fund available to local authorities to implement the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Government is committed to preventing and tackling homelessness, and no one should ever have to spend a night on the streets.I confirmed in January 2017 that the Government would fund the Homelessness Reduction Act in line with the longstanding 'new burdens' arrangement and provide £61 million to local authorities to meet the new burdens cost of the Act.The distribution formula is being finalised following consultation with local authorities from across the country, and we plan to announce allocations in the autumn and make the first payments in winter 2017/2018.

Compulsory Purchase: Compensation

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to implement clauses 195 and 196 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016 and clauses 38 and 39 of the Neighbourhood Planning Act 2017.

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, for what reason he is yet to implement clauses 195 and 196 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016 and clauses 38 and 39 of the Neighbourhood Planning Act 2017.

Alok Sharma: The Housing and Planning Act 2016 and Neighbourhood Planning Act 2017 contain a package of measures to make the compulsory purchase system clearer, fairer and faster for all. These important reforms are being implemented on a staged basis: on 22 September we commenced a number of provisions in the Neighbourhood Planning Act 2017, and the Government will now take forward work on the outstanding measures.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Redundancy

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many (a) men and (b) women have left his Department under exit schemes since 31 March 2016.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not run its own staff exit scheme. Any departures would be under schemes run by the parent employers of staff who join the office on assignment, loan or secondment from other government bodies, principally the Ministry of Justice and the Scottish Government. Due to the small numbers involved, specific details and costs cannot be provided to protect the privacy and identity of individuals concerned.

Scotland Office: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many civil servants in his Department are part of the Government Commercial Function; and how many of those civil servants have been seconded (a) outside the Government and (b) in from outside the Government in each year since 2012.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has no current or previous staff that are part of the Government Commercial Function.

Scotland Office: Pay

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many of his Department's staff had a pay increase (a) above one per cent, (b) at one per cent and (c) less than one per cent in each of the last three years for which information is available.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly. Staff that join do so on assignment, loan or secondment from other government bodies, principally the Ministry of Justice and the Scottish Government. Matters such as pay awards would be a matter for the employing departments.

Scotland Office: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers of his Department have had with the Chief Scientific Adviser in his Department in the last three months.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not have its own departmental Chief Scientific Adviser. Ministers of the Department regularly meet with a wide range of officials across Whitehall on a variety of issues.

Scotland Office: Buildings

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 8745, on Scotland Office: buildings, if his Department will publish the Memorandum of Terms of Occupation referred to in that Answer.

David Mundell: The Memorandum of Terms of Occupation template used by the Scotland Office can be found on the Office of Government Commerce website as follows: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110802155020/http://www.ogc.gov.uk/documents/CEOA_Volume_1.pdf

Visas: Malawi

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 7353 on visas: Malawi, if he will make representations to the Home Secretary to request that she review the (a) efficacy of procedures and (d) adequacy of the time taken to process Visit visas for Malawians who wish to travel to Scotland.

David Mundell: As I stated in response to Question 7353, the Scotland-Malawi Partnership has raised the issue of visas for Malawians to the UK with officials in the Scotland Office, Home Office and UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). Officials have explored with the Scotland-Malawi Partnership how to support the preparation of visa applications. I understand that provision has been made within the Home Office/UKVI to support the ongoing relationship with the Scotland-Malawi Partnership.

Women against State Pension Inequality

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 8090, on what date he will next meet with representatives of the Women Against State Pension Inequality campaign.

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 8081, on what date he will next meet with representatives of Citizens Advice Scotland.

David Mundell: My Department receives a large number of requests for the ministerial team and officials to meet with stakeholders to discuss a variety of issues on a regular basis and each invitation is considered on a case by case basis.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, when trade negotiations with other countries will commence after the UK leaves the EU.

Greg Hands: As set out by the Prime Minister in her Florence speech on 22 September, the UK will seek to agree a time-limited interim period with the EU.The UK would intend to pursue new trade negotiations with others during the interim period, having left the EU. The UK would not bring into effect any new arrangements with third countries, which were not consistent with the terms of the interim agreement.

Trade Agreements

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many trade agreements with other countries will need to be renegotiated after the UK leaves the EU.

Greg Hands: The UK Government is committed to seeking continuity in its current trade and investment relationships, including those covered by EU Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) or other EU preferential arrangements.The Government is seeking to transition into UK law, the trade agreements that the EU has with other countries and to which we are a party. There are around 40 existing EU FTAs. This will be a technical exercise, to ensure minimal disruption to business, consumers and workers alike.

Trade Agreements

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate he has made of the length of time it will take to conclude trade negotiations with other countries after the UK leaves the EU.

Greg Hands: We are talking to a broad range of countries about future trading relationships. Through these discussions, we will aim to put in place various mechanisms, to improve trading relations and remove barriers affecting UK businesses. However, the length of time to complete a specific trade agreement negotiation can vary significantly, therefore, at this stage, we cannot say specifically when agreements could be reached.

Women and Equalities

Government Equalities Office: Redundancy

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how many (a) men and (b) women have left the Government Equalities Office under exit schemes since 31 March 2016.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what amount has been paid to (a) men and (b) women who left the Government Equalities Office under exit schemes since 31 March 2016.

Mr Robert Goodwill: No one has left the Government Equalities Office under an exit scheme since 31 March 2016.

Migrant Workers: EU Nationals

Tom Brake: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment her Department has made of the levels of discrimination against EU citizens in the UK in relation to (a) employment and (b) redundancy since June 2016.

Nick Gibb: Employment discrimination on grounds of nationality is in most cases prohibited by the Equality Act 2010 and will remain so, but the provisions in the Act do not distinguish between EU and non-EU nationals, nor between British and non-British EU nationals, and statistics in this area do not allow these distinctions to be made. The Government Equalities Office sponsors the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which has powers to enforce the Equality Act 2010 in cases where it suspects unlawful discrimination in employment may have occurred.

Department for Transport

Motor Vehicles: Sales

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of total vehicle sales were ultra-low emission vehicles in the last 12 months for which there are figures.

Jesse Norman: Registrations of new ultra low emission vehicles represented 1.40% of total new vehicle registrations between July 2016 and June 2017. For cars, the proportion was 1.65% during the same period. In July and August 2017 registrations of new ultra low emission cars are estimated to have exceeded 2% of total new car registrations.

Railways: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has been made of the costs associated with the transfer of risk related to the proposed transfer of ownership of the Valley Lines to the Welsh Government.

Paul Maynard: Network Rail has been considering carefully the risks associated with the proposed transfer of ownership of the Valley Lines. Both it and the Welsh Government have been developing an agreement based upon Network Rail being held harmless for the direct impacts upon its business of the proposed transfer.

Railways: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has been made of the current condition of the Valleys network including latent defect; and whether this assessment has been shared with the Welsh Government.

Paul Maynard: As part of developing an agreement for the proposed transfer of the Valley Lines, Network Rail has given the Welsh Government access to information, staff and infrastructure to allow it to understand the current condition of the network and current and future risks associated with it. Dealing with this issue will form part of the final agreement for transfer.

Railways: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has been made of the effect of the proposed transfer of the Valley Lines to the Welsh Government on (a) funding, (b) debt and (c) liability for the Valley Lines.

Paul Maynard: The government, the Welsh Government and Network Rail have been working to develop an asset transfer agreement that represents a fair settlement to all parties for the proposed transfer. Agreement has been reached on the key principles and will be subject to detailed agreement in due course.

Railways: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has been made of the future liabilities of the proposed transfer of the Valley Lines to the Welsh Government for (a) the UK Government, (b) Network Rail and (c) the Welsh Government.

Paul Maynard: Agreement has been reached on the key principles relating to the proposed transfer of the Valley Lines. The principle that the Welsh Government and Network Rail have worked to is that Network Rail’s business should be held harmless as a result of the transfer and that Network Rail will not retain liabilities for assets that it no longer owns. Subject to this principle, discussions on the details of future agreements, including on the specifics of future liabilities, are ongoing.

Railways: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Network Rail's debt will transfer as a result of any transfer of the Valley Lines to the Welsh Government; and how much any such debt amounts to.

Paul Maynard: Network Rail’s debt will not transfer to the Welsh Government as a result of any transfer.

Bus Services

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) officials, (b) other staff and (c) contracted workers in his Department are working on buses policy.

Jesse Norman: The Department’s Buses and Taxi's division has 27 officials who work full-time or part-time on bus policies. The team does not employ any private contractors. Other officials elsewhere in the Department also spend some of their time working on analytical, policy, communications and other issues that are related to bus policies.

Aviation: Brexit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to avoid disruption to arrangements for air travel between the UK and European destinations when the UK leaves the EU.

Mr John Hayes: It will be in everyone's interest for air connections between the UK and EU to continue. The Government wants to negotiate the best possible relationship between the UK and EU, and is ready to begin discussions on aviation. The Government is well prepared to ensure suitable arrangements are put in place to ensure a smooth and orderly exit.

Trains: Diesel Fuel

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the announcement of 26 July 2017 on the end of sales of all new conventional petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2040, what his policy is on the use of diesel trains after that date.

Paul Maynard: We are encouraging the railway industry to improve air quality by proposing solutions that reduce emissions from trains and also to develop innovative solutions around future fuel technologies such as hydrogen and battery power. In the nearer term, there are currently a number of new bi-mode trains being delivered or on order. The rail industry expects rolling stock to typically have an expected life in the range of 30 to 35 years. There is no policy at present on the use of diesel trains post 2040.

Pedicabs: Greater London

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the need for legislation to control pedicab traffic in central London.

Jesse Norman: The Department has received a number of representations from MPs, Councillors, members of the public and the business community in the West End of London about the need to control pedicabs in central London. We have concluded that there is a need to regulate pedicabs and are investigating a suitable legislative slot to do this.

Railways: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the proposed transfer Valley Lines to the Welsh Government for the (a) Welsh Block Grant and (b) use of the Barnett Formula.

Paul Maynard: The financial consequences of the proposed transfer of the Valley Lines are still being discussed between the two governments.

Railways: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on insurance costs of the proposed transfer of Valley Lines to the Welsh Government.

Paul Maynard: Insurance costs relating to the Cardiff Valley Lines subsequent to their proposed transfer would be a matter for the Welsh Government.

Railways: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of licensing issues surrounding the proposed transfer of Network Rail's assets of Valley Lines to the Welsh Government and the future maintenance of those assets.

Paul Maynard: In developing its detailed proposals for the proposed transfer of ownership of the Cardiff Valley Lines, licensing issues relating to the assets are a matter for the Welsh Government and the Office of Rail and Road.

Railways: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the transfer of the Valley Lines to the Welsh Government on the Network Rail workforce who maintain and operate the Valley Lines.

Paul Maynard: As the employer, Network Rail is responsible for ensuring the protection of the rights of such employees who are affected by the proposed transfer of the Cardiff Valley Lines. It is absolutely right that all parties involved in any such transfer place the protection of affected staff at the centre of their thinking in developing the detailed proposals for a transfer.

Railways: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people are employed by Network Rail to work on the Valley Lines.

Paul Maynard: Network Rail does not employ staff to work solely on the Valley Lines, which is not accounted for as a business unit. The Valley Lines are supported by staff in Network Rail’s Route business (based in Cardiff) as well as centralised functions based elsewhere in the UK.

Department for Transport: Cycling

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many civil servants in his Department made use of a cycle-to-work scheme in each of the last five years.

Jesse Norman: The table below shows the number of employees using the cycle to work scheme in the Department for Transport for the last five years.Year Total Users 20131242014106201512320161372017 (to date)117

Network Rail

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what meetings he had with the (a) chair and (b) chief executive of Network Rail in (i) 2017 and (ii) 2016.

Paul Maynard: The Secretary of State meets with the Chair and Chief Executive of Network Rail on a regular basis.

South Wales Railway Line: Electrification

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department will save by cancelling the Cardiff to Swansea electrification project.

Jesse Norman: I refer the Hon. member to my response to PQ 8933 answered on 11 September. From the end of this month, passengers in Wales will benefit from new Intercity Express trains which will each deliver over 130 extra seats, faster journey times and improved connectivity for South Wales to London with 40% more seats in the morning peak once the full fleet is in service. There will be more seats for South Wales passengers by virtue of longer trains and (more frequent services to Bristol and Cheltenham thereby releasing space on London to Cardiff and Swansea services. Passengers will benefit sooner and experience less disruption compared with putting up intrusive wires and masts along routes where they are no longer required.

Community Transport

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people used community transport in each region and constituent part of the UK in each year since 2010.

Jesse Norman: This information is not centrally held.

Railways: Electrification

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what consultation his Department undertook with Network Rail before the decision to cancel the electrification projects in the Midlands, Wales and the Lake District.

Paul Maynard: The Department for Transport and Network Rail work closely together. We have regular discussions with Network Rail throughout the year on a number of topics, including the recent decisions on projects in the Midlands, Wales and the Lake District.

Railways: North Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to electrify the north Wales railway line.

Paul Maynard: We continue to work with the rail industry, the Welsh Government and regional stakeholders, including the North Wales and Mersey Dee Rail Task Force and Transport for the North, to see what more can be accomplished to deliver better journeys for passengers and freight customers in the North Wales corridor. The rail industry’s Welsh Route Study published in March 2016 looked at the case for electrification of the North Wales Main Line (NWML) - including the link from Chester to Warrington - and concluded it had a benefit to cost ratio of 0.35 to 1 if evaluated on the basis of current train services, or 0.58 to 1 if evaluated against an enhanced level of train services for which funding has not yet been identified.The Welsh Government has recently with our agreement issued an Invitation to Tender for the next Wales and Borders franchise seeking a step change in the quality of rail travel in Wales and the borders region. The competition for the new franchise for the West Coast, the West Coast Partnership, is also underway. This provides vital connections between London, Crewe, Chester and North Wales. We expect the next franchise to be a far more punctual and reliable service and offer better connections between the towns and cities it serves to enable economic growth.

Railways: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of improvement to rail infrastructure in Wales were funded by (a) the Government and (b) Welsh government in each of the last 10 years.

Paul Maynard: I have asked Network Rail to collate the information and provide this directly to the Honourable Member.

Network Rail: Biodiversity

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding Network Rail has allocated to ensure that its projects are biodiversity net positive.

Paul Maynard: Network Rail embeds funding for managing biodiversity within individual projects.

Government Communication Service: Staff

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2017 to Question 8716, on Government Communications Service: staff, what the payscales are of the two members of staff who work solely on High Speed 2 (HS2); at what payscales the two vacancies were advertised; and what the payscales are for the two members of staff who work part-time on HS2 communications.

Mr John Hayes: The two Government Communications Service (GCS) staff members working solely on HS2 communications are being paid on the Grade 7 pay scale, and the two vacant GCS roles will be paid on the Grade 6 and Higher Executive Officer pay scales. The two members of staff who work part-time on HS2 communications are on the Senior Executive Officer and Higher Executive Officer pay scales.

Highways England: Biodiversity

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding Highways England has allocated to ensure that projects are biodiversity net positive.

Jesse Norman: Highways England are building projects in ways designed to minimise environmental impacts now and leave a positive legacy for the future. Individual road scheme budgets are set so that schemes can mitigate their impact on biodiversity, and seek opportunities for enhancement, while achieving value for money.The Road Investment Strategy also includes a ring-fenced environment fund of £300 million between 2015 to 2020, which includes funds for biodiversity.

Network Rail: Expenditure

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of Network Rail's expenditure in the current control period is spent on engaging third party contractors, excluding materials and energy suppliers, for (a) renewables work and (b) enhancement projects.

Paul Maynard: Information on contractor anticipated final cost (AFC) is detailed below. The proportion of Network Rail’s expenditure to be spent on engaging third party contractors in the current control period is approximately 69%.  Contractor AFC (millions)Total CP5 Funding (millions)CP5 Enhancements£13,224  £38.3CP5 Renewals£13,075Total CP5 £26,299 Please note that these figures are subject to a number of caveats. For example, it is not possible to pull out all materials costs, so these figures include some materials costs relating to renewals and enhancements, or may include other aspects such as Distribution Network Operator costs.

Valley Lines

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Network Rail will remain responsible for and have control of the day-to-day maintenance and operation of the Valley Lines after their transfer to the Welsh Government.

Paul Maynard: The current proposal by the Welsh Government is that if ownership of the Cardiff Valley Lines is transferred, Network Rail will not remain responsible for their day-to-day maintenance and operation.

Valley Lines

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the successful private sector bidder for the (a) Wales and Borders and (b) Metro franchise will be responsible for and have control of the day-to-day maintenance and operation of the Valley Lines.

Paul Maynard: Following the proposed transfer of ownership of the Cardiff Valley Lines, allocation of responsibility for control of the day-to-day maintenance and operation of the Valley Lines would be a matter for the Welsh Government.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Behavioural Insights Team

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much his Department has paid to the Behavioural Insights Team in each year since 2014.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has made the below payments to the Behavioural Insights teams since 2014.2014-15: £02015-16: £84,3952016-17: £355,9762017-18 (to date): £30,654

Kenya: Elections

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the work of Kenya's Electoral Commission since the presidential election held in that country on 8 August 2017; and if he will take steps to ensure that concerns on the work of that commission are resolved in advance of the upcoming repeat of Kenya's presidential election.

Boris Johnson: The UK recognises the crucial role of Kenya’s Electoral Commission in managing the presidential elections, as mandated by Kenya’s Constitution. We welcome steps the Electoral Commission has taken to address concerns set out by the Supreme Court, and continue to support the Commission and other Kenyan institutions in preparing for the upcoming elections.

Kenya: Elections

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support his Department plans to give to ensure that the Kenyan elections due to be held on 17 October 2017 are conducted in a free, fair and democratic manner.

Rory Stewart: We are committed to supporting the electoral process in Kenya to help ensure free, fair, peaceful and credible elections. The UK has provided non-partisan technical assistance, working with international partners to support election management, legal reforms and efforts to resolve disputes and reduce violence.

Kenya: Elections

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he taking to ensure that the forthcoming presidential election in Kenya is conducted in a free and fair manner.

Boris Johnson: We are committed to supporting the electoral process in Kenya and helping to ensure free, fair, peaceful and credible elections. The UK has provided non-partisan technical assistance, working with international partners to support election management, legal reforms and efforts to resolve disputes and reduce violence.

China: Christianity

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Chinese counterpart on the harassment and surveillance faced by the growing Chinese Protestant population in that country.

Mark Field: ​We remain concerned about restrictions on freedom of religion or belief in China and have raised this issue regularly, including at the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue which took place on 27-28 June 2017.

Nepal: Religious Freedom

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the state of freedom of religion or belief in Nepal.

Mark Field: The right to freedom of religion is enshrined in the Nepali Constitution of September 2015, however we are concerned that provisions around changing religion are open to interpretation. Freedom of religion or belief – particularly conversion - remains a sensitive issue. Our Embassy in Kathmandu monitors the human rights situation closely and has consistently encouraged the Government of Nepal and members of Nepal's parliament to ensure Nepal meets its international human rights obligations, this includes freedom of religion or belief, and we will continue to do so. I also raise these issues with the Nepalese Ambassador to London at a meeting on 9 October 2017.

Nepal: Freedom of Expression

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Government of Nepal on the state of freedom of expression in that country following the arrest of eight Christians in Charikot in June 2016.

Mark Field: Our Embassy in Kathmandu has consistently encouraged the Government of Nepal and members of Nepal’s parliament to ensure Nepal meets its international human rights obligations, including freedom of religion or belief. I raised these issues with the Nepalese Ambassador to London at a meeting on 9 October 2017.

Nepal: United Nations

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to encourage the Government of Nepal to extend standing invitations to UN Special Procedures, including the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief.

Mark Field: ​Our officials in Kathmandu have encouraged the Government of Nepal to implement the recommendations made by the UN Working Group on Universal Periodic Review: Nepal which includes extending an invitation to the UN special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief. We will continue to encourage the Government of Nepal to meet its international human rights obligations.

Nepal: Religious Freedom

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Criminal Code Bill 2014, passed on 8 August 2017 by the Nepali Government, on freedom of religion or belief in Nepal.

Mark Field: Whilst the final legislation is not yet public the draft version of the Criminal code criminalised religious conversion and the hurting of religious sentiment, which could be interpreted in a way that would limit people’s rights to express their religion and, potentially, their right to choose their religion.During drafting our officials in Nepal met with the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs to discuss the bill and raise the need for compliance with international human rights standards. This includes ensuring the protection of the right to change religion.I have also raised this matter in my most recent meeting with the Nepalese Ambassador to London on 9 October 2017.

Nepal: Religious Freedom

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of Article 26(3) of the Nepalese Constitution on freedom of religion or belief in Nepal.

Mark Field: The Constitution of Nepal, 2015 under article 26 (1) guarantees freedom of religion as a fundamental right. Sub-article 3 states that in exercise of the right conferred by this article, one cannot do, or cause to be done, any act which may be contrary to public health, decency and morality, breach public peace, convert another person from one religion to another or any other act or conduct that may jeopardize another’s religion. These subsequent provisions may be interpreted in a way that would limit people’s rights to express their religion and, potentially, their right to choose their religion.Our Embassy in Kathmandu has consistently encouraged the Government of Nepal and members of Nepal’s parliament to ensure Nepal meets its international human rights obligations. This includes ensuring freedom of religion or belief. I raised these issues with the Nepalese Ambassador to London at a meeting on 9 October.

Somaliland: Elections

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the UK will send election observers to Somaliland to observe the general election on 13 November 2017.

Rory Stewart: The UK is providing £202,017 to fund a 60-strong international election observation mission for the delayed Somaliland Presidential election, now scheduled for 13 November 2017. Following a competitive tender process, the election observation team will be led by University College London.

Genocide: Islamic State

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government has formally recognised that Daesh has committed genocide.

Alistair Burt: The UK Government believes that genocide should be a matter for judicial authorities to determine. However, this Government shares the House's condemnation of Daesh atrocities and led the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2379 with the Government of Iraq to hold Daesh to account for their crimes.

Kem Sokha

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Cambodian Government on the imprisonment of Kem Sokkha in Cambodia; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Field: ​On 21 September, I met the Cambodian Foreign Minister, Prak Sokhonn, at the UN General Assembly. I raised our concerns regarding the political situation in the country, including Kem Sokha's arrest. The UK urges the Government of Cambodia to take immediate steps to ensure free, fair and credible elections next year. We call for Kem Sokha to be released so that fully participatory legitimate elections can take place.

Cambodia: Human Rights

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what programmes his Department supports to promote human rights and the rule of law in Cambodia.

Mark Field: The FCO supports a number of programmes in these important areas. We are working with a range of Cambodian and international organisations to help strengthen the impact of their human rights work in Cambodia and are improving the capacity of regional networks in Cambodia to enhance their cooperation with the relevant authorities on governance and accountability.Gender equality runs through all programmes supported by the FCO. In Cambodia we have focussed in particular on the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI), freedom of expression and women's involvement in politics. In line with our foreign policy priority to be a global leader in the fight against modern slavery, we are also supporting the development of a toolkit on how to properly collect and handle data for modern slavery cases which will be used by front line practitioners in government and civil society in Cambodia.Additionally, the UK has for some years been one of the most active countries in supporting the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) which is prosecuting the senior and most responsible Khmer Rouge leaders. This is being done through the UK's voluntary monetary contributions to the court and also through supporting awareness raising programmes across Cambodia to demonstrate the importance of the rule of law.

Free Trade: Gibraltar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to establish a free trade area between the UK and Gibraltar which will be in place after the UK leaves the EU.

Sir Alan Duncan: The British Government and the Government of Gibraltar are working to maintain and strengthen our economic links. Ministers discussed progress on this at the Joint Ministerial Council (Gibraltar Europe Negotiations) in September. The Treasury agreed to continue to work closely together with The Government of Gibraltar on financial services, committing to a programme of work on insurance. We have also established a working group to discuss mutual opportunities in the online gaming industry, where Gibraltar is a global leader.

Department for International Development

Caribbean: Hurricanes and Tornadoes

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what provision has been made for infant feeding within the Government's emergency response to Hurricane Irma.

Alistair Burt: The Government is doing all that it can to help those caught in the path of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The Government has been responding to the humanitarian needs as they have been identified by our teams on the ground and the local authorities. To date, almost 180 tonnes of DFID relief items have either arrived or been procured in the region, including much needed food, water, shelter kits, and solar lanterns. Recent assessments indicate that markets are opening in the region and we are keen to support these. The UK is funding the Pan American Health Organisation – the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organisation – to help meet the health needs of affected populations, including any specific issues related to infant feeding. DFID will continue to work closely with the local authorities to identify their needs and prioritise our response accordingly.

Department for International Development: Devolution

Stephen Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the dates were of the most recent meetings between Ministers of her Department and their counterparts in the devolved administrations; and what the dates are of the next planned meetings.

Rory Stewart: Minister of State Rory Stewart last spoke to the Scottish Government Minister for Europe and International Development in October 2017. The next meeting is expected to take place in December.

Department for International Development: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many civil servants in her Department are part of the Government Commercial Function; and how many of those civil servants have been seconded (a) outside the Government and (b) in from outside the Government in each year since 2012.

Rory Stewart: DFID joined the Government Commercial Organisation in July 2017 and currently has 11 civil servants supporting this function. None of them have been seconded outside or into the Government since this date.

Developing Countries: Renewable Energy

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how the UK plans to (a) contribute and (b) vote at the World Bank Group (WBG) to ensure that two thirds of WBG support for energy in developing countries supports access to renewable energy and clean cooking for the world's poorest communities.

Rory Stewart: The UK is using its influence as a major shareholder to encourage the World Bank to prioritise renewable energy where this is part of a country’s least cost expansion plan, including support for clean cooking where relevant. We do so through our interventions in board discussions of the Climate Change Action Plan, the forward pipeline of projects in a country, and the design of specific projects.We are also funding the World Bank to help developing countries with energy policy development and project implementation.

Department for International Development: Redundancy Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many (a) men and (b) women have left her Department under exit schemes since 31 March 2016.

Rory Stewart: Details of exits from the Department for International Development are routinely published in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts.

Department for International Development: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many meetings (a) she and (b) Ministers of her Department have had with the Chief Scientific Adviser in her Department in the last three months.

Rory Stewart: The DFID Minister of State Rory Stewart holds the portfolio responsibility for DFID’s Science and Research. The DFID Chief Scientific Adviser has met with the Minister Stewart on 3 occasions (including all-day evidence discussion) over the last 3-months to discuss a range of science and research priorities. In addition, DFID’s Chief Scientific Adviser has also had a meeting with Lord Bates during this periodThe Chief Scientific Adviser continues to provide all Ministers with regular written submissions and briefings on DFID science and research activities.

Burma: Rohingya

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment has been made of the trend in the humanitarian situation in Rakhine State; and what steps she is taking to support refugees fleeing violence in that area.

Alistair Burt: We have no access to northern Rakhine State so cannot accurately predict humanitarian needs; triangulating numerous sources of information we assess that needs are likely to be acute for the entire population, both ethnic Rakhine and Rohingya. In addition to the 480,000 Rohingya now displaced into Bangladesh, the Government of Burma has stated it estimates a further 27,000 ethnic Rakhine are also internally displaced within Rakhine State. The UK has repeatedly called on the Burmese authorities to end violence, facilitate full humanitarian access to all communities in Rakhine State, encourage return and implement the recommendations of the August 2017 Rakhine Advisory commission report. The UK is providing an additional £30 million to meet the urgent needs in both Bangladesh and Burma of those affected by the violence.

South East Asia: Floods

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent humanitarian assistance her Department has provided to victims of floods and monsoons in south east Asia.

Alistair Burt: DFID led the way in the crisis as the international community’s largest bilateral donor. In Bangladesh we made the first international contribution of £660,000 to help over 60,000 people with food, shelter, and water and sanitation. Following flooding earlier in the year, we allocated £3m for early recovery in North East Bangladesh. In Nepal, we provided water, hygiene, sanitation and shelter support to 30,000 people through pre-positioned supplies, and gave £400,000 to the Nepal Red Cross Society for the response. In Pakistan, we committed over £410,000 for emergency response, which included cash support for 1,300 families to repair damaged homes, and provide temporary access to clean drinking water to 400,000 people. In India, we committed £400,000 through the multi-donor START fund in India.Over several years DFID has helped Bangladesh and Nepal to prepare for natural disasters. Previous UK support in Bangladesh funded emergency flood shelters, and in Nepal the UK funded the construction of a humanitarian staging area at Kathmandu airport. In addition, DFID Bangladesh is earmarking £7.9 million for disaster preparedness from 2016-2021, and DFID Nepal is setting aside £46 million between 2016 and 2022, for strengthening disaster resilience and responding to humanitarian emergencies.

Caribbean: Hurricanes and Tornadoes

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans she has to provide medium and long-term aid for reconstruction of areas of the Caribbean damaged by Hurricane Irma.

Alistair Burt: While our first priority has been to deliver life-saving assistance to those affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the UK government has also started work on recovery and reconstruction in the affected Territories. A team of technical experts will be starting discussions this week with the Overseas Territory Governments to help them develop plans to meet their reconstruction needs.

United Nations: Recruitment

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many UN Junior Professional Officer posts have been funded by the Government in (a) 2015, (b) 2016 and (c) 2017 to date; in what location each of those posts was filled; and for which UN organisation those posts were funded.

Rory Stewart: DFID has supported 18 UK Junior Professional Officers since 2015, who have helped to strengthen the UN's capability in priority areas. I have outlined below the positions DFID have funded. 2015AgencyDuty StationUNDESAEthiopia2016AgencyDuty StationUNDPUNDP HQUNDPUNDP HQUNDPUNDP HQUNDPUNDP HQUNDPPakistanUNDPEthiopiaUNFPANepalUNFPASudanUNFPABangladeshUNFPAAfghanistanWHOOccupied Palestinian TerritoryWHOWHO HQWHOCongo, Republic ofWHOWHO HQUNICEFNepalUNICEFEthiopiaUNICEFNepal

Developing Countries: Family Planning

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans she has to change her Department's financial contributions for sexual and reproductive health rights.

Alistair Burt: The UK leads the world in our long-term support for comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR): from tackling HIV, to family planning, to maternal and newborn health, to combatting Female Genital Mutilation and child, early and forced marriage, to supporting safe abortion. We are the second largest donor to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria; the largest donor to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and we recently opened bids for innovative civil society consortia to address SRHR.In July 2017 the UK again rose to the challenge, hosting the London summit on family planning, and committing to spend an average of £225m every year on family planning for the next five years, an increase of 25%, which we estimate will prevent 6 million unintended pregnancies.

Disaster Relief

Mr Bob Seely: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make representations to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development on the relaxation of international aid rules to permit countries to use their discretion in allocating aid funding to support relief efforts in other countries affected by natural disasters.

Rory Stewart: The Secretary of State for International Development wrote to the Chair of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) on 14 September to request that the DAC urgently develop options to ensure the aid rules reflect today’s needs, giving certainty to donors that aid to those impacted by Hurricane Irma can be considered official aid. This would take into account the scale of devastation and vulnerabilities of small island states. We will work with international partners to ensure the rules remain relevant.

Poaching

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department provides to nations to help them tackle poaching which results from the illegal ivory trade.

Rory Stewart: The Department for International Development supports nations to tackle poaching and the illegal ivory trade primarily through UK contributions to the Global Environment Facility. The Global Environment Facility is providing $131 million (£97 million) over seven years from 2015 to the Global Wildlife Programme which is tackling both the supply of and demand for illegal wildlife products across countries in Africa and Asia. In addition DFID has invited bids for tackling the illegal wildlife trade through UK Aid Direct, one of our principal schemes for funding civil society organisations. We also continue to work closely with DEFRA on their aid-funded activities to tackle the illegal wildlife trade.

Malaria

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if her Department will convene a global malaria summit, linked to the UK's chairmanship of the Commonwealth Heads of Government between 2018 and 2020.

Alistair Burt: DFID is working closely with member states and the Commonwealth Secretariat to develop policy proposals for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting 2018 and for the UK's full period as Chair-In-Office until 2020. Malaria is one of the issues under consideration. The UK is a leading global actor in fighting malaria through a wide range of interventions.

Sub-Saharan Africa: Poaching

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the legality under international laws of using the international aid budget to fund anti-poaching efforts in sub-Saharan Africa.

Rory Stewart: The Department for International Development supports anti-poaching activity in sub-Saharan Africa where it promotes sustainable development or improved welfare, and is likely to contribute to a reduction in poverty. This is a requirement under the International Development Act. We have not made a separate assessment of legality under international laws.

Overseas Aid

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans she has to change OECD-DAC rules.

Rory Stewart: In line with the Conservative Manifesto, this Government is pressing for the rules that govern how, on whom, and for what purpose development assistance is spent to better reflect the breadth of our assistance around the world. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Development Assistance Committee (OECD-DAC) determines what may be counted as Official Development Assistance. As it operates by consensus, we are working with our DAC partners and other stakeholders to achieve this.

Department for Education

Free School Meals: Preston

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children in Preston constituency were entitled to free school meals prior to the introduction of universal free school meals.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The proportion of pupils eligible for and claiming free school meals under the system prior to the introduction of universal free school meals system is published at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2017.Data is not summarised by parliamentary constituency, but data for each school is available via the link to underlying tables then the file ‘…Schools_Pupils_UD’.

Primary Education: Wolverhampton

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her most recent estimate is of the number of primary school places required in Wolverhampton.

Nick Gibb: Local authorities are responsible for ensuring there are sufficient school places for pupils. The Department collects pupil forecasts and school capacities from each local authority through the annual school capacity survey (SCAP). This data is used to allocate capital funding to local authorities to help them provide sufficient school places where they are needed. The Department’s Pupil Place Planning team then work with local authorities to determine that those places are in fact being created. The capacity and forecast data are published on an annual basis, giving local authority and regional totals, through the SCAP tables. From the latest published data giving the position at May 2016, Wolverhampton Local Authority had 24,296 places at primary schools and 22,172 pupils on roll at primary schools. Further information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-capacity-academic-year-2015-to-2016. The Department also publishes school place scorecards to show the challenges that local authorities are facing, together with the progress that they are making in providing sufficient good quality school places. The latest published scorecards show that an estimated 200 primary places are needed in Wolverhampton Local Authority to meet demand in 2018/19. This figure is based on demand in separate planning areas within the local authority. The scorecards, including full details of the calculation, can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-authority-school-places-scorecards-2016.

Apprentices

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many of the 200,000 new public sector apprenticeships announced by her Department on 20 January 2017 have been filled; and how many of those are based in the (a) West Midlands and (b) City of Wolverhampton.

Anne Milton: Figures on the number of public sector apprenticeships are not available. Public sector bodies in scope of the public sector apprenticeships target are required annually to publish and send to the Department for Education their progress towards the target.The first reports (covering the period 2017/18) will be due by 30 September 2018.

Apprentices: Disadvantaged

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many apprentices were from below average income households in (a) England, (b) West Midlands and (c) Wolverhampton in each of the last three years.

Anne Milton: The information requested is not held centrally.The department does not currently hold information which is specific to the breakdown of apprentices by their household income by region.

Apprentices: Wolverhampton

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many apprentices are funded in the Wolverhampton local authority area through the apprenticeship levy; and how many apprenticeships in the Wolverhampton local authority area the Government expects will be funded by the apprenticeship levy, in financial year (a) 2017-18 and (b) 2018-19.

Anne Milton: The number of apprenticeship starts is published as part of the further education and skills statistical first release. Apprenticeship starts broken down by geographical region and local authority are available in the further education data library: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/624428/apprenticeships-geography-data-tool-starts-v1.xlsm. Currently, data on apprenticeship starts is only available reported to the end of April 2017, before the apprenticeship levy was introduced. The statistical first release will publish apprenticeship starts supported through the levy in the October release on 12 October 2017. Apprenticeships are jobs and the volume and mix of apprenticeships will depend on the decisions employers make. The department has made estimates of the overall numbers of apprenticeships in future years but does not have breakdowns by local authorities. Data on the number of accounts registered on the apprenticeship service and the number of commitments made have been published as part of the statistical first release collection:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/further-education-and-skills-statistical-first-release-sfr.

Primary Education: Wolverhampton

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans the Government has to expand the number of primary school places in Wolverhampton.

Nick Gibb: Local authorities are responsible for planning and securing sufficient school places in their area, and supporting them in doing so is one of this Government’s top priorities. Wolverhampton has received £19 million for new places between 2011 and 2017 and has been allocated a further £6 million for 2017 to 2020. In summer 2016, the City of Wolverhampton Council reported that they had firm plans in place to provide 555 primary school places by September 2018.

Universities: Admissions

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of changes in the number of students taking up places at lower tariff universities and colleges in the last 12 months.

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of changes in the number of (a) mature students and (b) non-UK EU students taking up places at universities and colleges in the last 12 months.

Joseph Johnson: The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) published data on the number of applicants placed by 1 September 2017. Note that UCAS data covers applications to full-time undergraduate courses only.Data for the 2017 cycle is available here:https://www.ucas.com/corporate/data-and-analysis/ucas-undergraduate-releases/statistical-releases-daily-clearing-analysis-2017.Figures on the number of placed applicants by tariff group are in table T.2 of the Tariff group (All domiciles) file:https://www.ucas.com/file/123556/download?token=r4RoBQ1A.Figures on the number of placed applicants by age for English domiciled students are in table C.4 of the Age file:https://www.ucas.com/file/123436/download?token=K7VwwP9m.Figures on the number of placed EU applicants (excluding the UK) are in table B.17 of the Country (All domiciles) file:https://www.ucas.com/file/123431/download?token=nDwyyVKs.We have provided guidance to the Director for Fair Access in 2016 and asked him to encourage institutions to make more effort in the area of recruiting more mature learners and this is reflected in guidance to institutions on access agreements. We are removing barriers to the growth of accelerated courses, which particularly appeal to mature students. EU students make an important contribution to our universities and we want that to continue. To help provide certainty for EU students as we exit the EU, the Government has confirmed that EU students starting their courses in the academic year 18/19 or before will continue to be eligible for student loans and home fee status and will have a right to remain in the UK to complete their course. While it is disappointing to see the fall in EU numbers in the UCAS data, we welcome the rise in the number of 18 year olds from non-EU countries applying to study in the UK. This highlights that the UK is highly competitive in the global mobile student market, second only to the US in the number of international students we attract.

Student Loans Company: Staff

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many full-time equivalent staff there were at the Student Loans Company in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14, (e) 2014-15, (f) 2015-16 and (g) 2016-17.

Joseph Johnson: The full time equivalent staff employed by the Student Loans Company for the years requested above are as follows: 2010 - 1,8012011 - 1,8572012 - 1,9202013 - 2,1402014 - 2,3672015 - 2,5542016 - 2,6492017 - 2,787

Global University Systems

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what quality assurance measures her Department has undertaken  to ensure that Global University Systems is fit to retain the university titles and degree-awarding powers of the University of Law and Arden University since their recent takeover.

Joseph Johnson: Providers must meet clear criteria in order to obtain degree awarding powers or University Title, including demonstrating that they are delivering high quality higher education. As set out in published guidance[1], if there is a change in circumstances of a provider – such as a change of ownership –their eligibility is reviewed to ensure that these robust criteria are still being met. Providers need to demonstrate that they continue to be the same institution that was assessed for and granted degree awarding powers, and that they can still meet all University Title criteria.Such reviews have taken place following the changes of ownership at the University of Law and Arden University. [1] Guidance for higher education providers: criteria and process for applying for taught degree awarding powers and research degree awarding powers https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/taught-and-research-degree-awarding-powers, and Guidance for higher education providers for applying for university title and university college title, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/university-title-and-university-college-title.

Higher Education

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many new providers she expects to enter the higher education market as a result of the Higher Education and Research Act 2017.

Joseph Johnson: The published Impact Assessment for the Higher Education and Research Bill (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/528005/bis-16-295-he-research-bill-detailed-impact-assessment.pdf) shows the forecast impact of the reforms on the number of providers in the sector. These figures are of course estimates but we would expect around 600 providers, including both existing and new providers, to be entered in the register in the first year of the Office for Students’ operation of the register, rising to some 800 within ten years.

Medicine: Education

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent proposals she has received for the establishment of new medical schools; and how many new training places each of these proposals would provide.

Joseph Johnson: In 2016, the Secretary of State for Health announced the Government’s commitment to expanding the number of undergraduate medical training places available each year by 1,500. The Government response to the public consultation on how to implement these proposals was published on 9 August 2017. It confirmed the commitment to an expansion of 1,500 places, starting with an increase of 500 places in August 2018.The consultation response also outlined the Government’s priorities for inclusion in the bidding criteria for the allocation of the remaining 1,000 places from August 2019. There will be some flexibility to consider phased starts in 2018-19 or 2020-21 where bids that are best able to meet the Government’s policy objectives provide strong evidence of the need to provide places to a different timescale.Since publication of the consultation response, the Secretary of State for Education has not received proposals for the establishment of new medical schools. Further information is due in the autumn from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and Health Education England (HEE), who are currently designing the competitive bidding process in which established, new and aspiring medical schools can participate.

English Language and Literature: GCSE

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 9252, what assessment she has made of trends in performance at Progress 8 in the event that grades for both GCSE English language and GCSE English literature were recorded.

Nick Gibb: Progress 8 was published for the first time for all schools in 2016. It compares the progress pupils make across eight subjects and, so far, only one year of complete data exists.Progress 8 focuses on an academic core in which both English language and English literature can be double weighted to signify their importance. In order to qualify for that additional weighting in English, a pupil must be entered to sit both GCSE English language and GCSE English literature. If a pupil does sit both qualifications, the highest grade achieved in either GCSE English language or GCSE English literature will receive double weighting for the English element of Progress 8. The other English GCSE can also contribute to the ‘open’ element of Progress 8 if it is one of the three highest grades achieved eligible for that element.There is not sufficient data available yet to comment on any trends in Progress 8 performance, or the differences between sitting either one of, or both, English language and English literature.

Children: Internet

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of teaching in secondary schools on how to stay safe online.

Nick Gibb: ‘Keeping children safe in education’ (KCSIE) is the statutory guidance which schools and colleges must have regard to, when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. KCSIE sets out that governing bodies and proprietors should ensure that children are taught about safeguarding, including staying safe online, through appropriate teaching. This may include covering relevant issues through Personal, Social, Health and Economic education and through Sex and Relationship education.The Children and Social Work Act 2017 places a duty on the Secretary of State for Education to make Relationships Education at primary and Relationship and Sex Education at secondary mandatory through regulations. We expect the teaching of safe online relationships to be part of this. To get this right, the Department will be engaging with schools, teachers; parents and pupils; experts in safeguarding and child wellbeing; subject experts; faith groups; voluntary organisations and other interested parties; and other Government Departments and public sector bodies.The new computing curriculum (ages 5-16) was introduced in September 2014 to replace the ICT curriculum, which was widely regarded by industry and academics as outdated. The development of the content was largely led by sector representatives and includes topics on digital literacy and using communications technology responsibly. The Department funds the Network of Excellence programme which provides high quality teacher continuous professional development to support the new computing curriculum and reformed computer science GCSE, provided by a team of around 400 ‘Master Teachers’ and coordinated by ten university based regional centres. Ofsted takes into account pupils’ understanding of how to stay safe online and the dangers of inappropriate use of mobile technology and social networking sites as part of their inspection process.

Pupils: Bullying

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of bullying in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools since 2010.

Nick Gibb: Our most recent assessments of the levels of bullying in schools were published in July this year within The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) Teacher Voice Survey and the Omnibus Survey of Pupils and their Parents / Carers. Questions in the NFER Teacher Voice Omnibus and a senior leader booster survey found that for each type of bullying asked about, the majority of respondents said they had rarely or never seen them occurring amongst pupils over the previous 12 months. This ranged from 73% of respondents saying they had rarely or never seen bullying based on sexist or sexual language, to 94% of respondents who said they had rarely or never seen anti-Semitic bullying. The most commonly observed form of bullying was sexist/related to sexual language with 27% reporting seeing it ‘sometimes’, ‘often’ or ‘very often’. For all types of bullying asked about in the survey, the proportion of respondents saying they had seen or received reports of them occurring in the last 12 months was higher in secondary schools than primary schools. The Department’s Omnibus Survey of Pupils and their Parents/Carers found that nearly half of pupils (45%) said they had been bullied at least once in the past year. This survey did not cover primary age pupils.Although we plan to ask these questions on an annual basis going forward, this was the first time these surveys have asked about levels of bullying and so we do not have comparable data to assess trends.However, a separate survey published in 2015 - wave 2 results from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England 2 (LSYPE 2) - compared bullying among two cohorts of 14 year olds (year 10) from 2004 and 2014. It found that 30,000 fewer people in year 10 said they had been bullied in the last twelve months - a drop from 41% in 2004 to 36% in 2014. The analysis of later LSYPE2 waves will also include bullying figures. These findings will be published when the analysis is complete and quality assured.

Teachers: Vacancies

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of the number of secondary teaching posts that are (a) vacant and (b) being filled by a person who is not a specialist in that subject in each region in England.

Nick Gibb: Information on the number of secondary teaching posts that are vacant or temporarily filled is shown in Table 15 of the statistical release, School Workforce in England 2016, available at the following web link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2016. Information on the number of secondary school teachers that have relevant post A level qualifications for the subjects they teach is shown in Table 12.

Schools: Finance

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which statutory functions allow her to guarantee that no school will see a cut in funding as a consequence of the national funding formula for local authority maintained schools and academy schools.

Nick Gibb: Under the national funding formula for schools, every school will attract at least 0.5% more per pupil in 2018-19, and 1% more in 2019-20, compared to its baseline. As set out in the Secretary of State’s announcement on 17 July, local authorities will continue to be responsible for determining actual funding allocations to schools in 2018‑19 and 2019-20, to support the implementation of the national funding formula.As every local authority in every part of the country will receive a per pupil cash increase in funding, the great majority of schools should be able to receive a per pupil cash increase, too. But ultimately, this is a decision for local authorities to make following local consultation with their schools.

Department for Education: Redundancy

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) men and (b) women have left her Department under exit schemes since 31 March 2016.

Mr Robert Goodwill: When numbers are so small that individuals could be identified, identifying details are masked to protect their privacy. Since 31 March 2016, fewer than five individuals have left the Department for Education under an exit scheme and a total of £95,000 has been paid.

Schools: Finance

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that schools have additional financial resources to aid them in better supporting summer born children.

Nick Gibb: The additional £1.3 billion we are investing in schools will ensure the new national funding formula provides a cash increase of at least 1% per pupil by 2019-20 for every school, with up to 3% gains per pupil, per year, for underfunded schools, to enable all schools to provide the right support to their pupils. Funding is not allocated directly by reference to when in the year children are born. Within the national funding formula, additional funding is directed by reference to the number of children who have low prior attainment, and have fallen behind their peers.

Department for Education: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many civil servants in her Department are part of the Government Commercial Function; and how many of those civil servants have been seconded(a) outside of government and (b) in from outside of overnment in each year since 2012.

Mr Robert Goodwill: As at 31 July 2017, there were 64 civil servants working within the commercial function at the Department for Education. All departmental commercial professionals are members of the Government Commercial Function.Our records show that one civil servant employed within the commercial function at Department for Education was seconded outside the Government in 2012. There have been no inward secondees from outside the Government at any time since 2012.

Department for Education: Devolution

Stephen Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the dates were of the most recent meetings between Ministers from her Department and their counterparts in the devolved administrations; and what the dates are of the next planned meetings.

Mr Robert Goodwill: My Rt hon. Friend, the Minister of State for School Standards and Minister for Equalities, met John Swinney MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, and Kirsty Williams AM, Cabinet Secretary for Education, on 30 March 2017.My hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research, met Kirsty Williams AM, Cabinet Secretary for Education, on 20 December 2016.Education is a power that is devolved to Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. My Ministerial colleagues do not currently have planned meetings with their counterparts in the devolved administrations, however there is ongoing dialogue at official level.

Department for Education: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many meetings (a) she and (b) Ministers of her Department have had with the Chief Scientific Adviser in her Department in the last three months.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Minister Gibb has met with the Department’s Chief Scientific Advisor twice in the last three months.

Children's Centres

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children's centre linked sites there have been in each year since 2010.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the Department's definition is of a children's centre linked site.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Since 18 September 2017, real-time data on Sure Start children’s centres and children’s centre linked sites has been supplied by local authorities via the department’s Get Information about Schools (GIAS) database portal at: https://www.get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/.The department does not systematically collect information on the date children’s centres convert to children’s centre linked sites so it is not possible to provide a breakdown by year.The definition of a children’s centre linked site is set out in the GIAS glossary at: https://www.get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/glossary.

Schools: Jarrow

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the new school funding formula on the level of funding for each school in Jarrow constituency.

Nick Gibb: The Department has published notional school level allocations showing what each school would attract through the national funding formula. This information can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-tables-for-schools-and-high-needs. As the Secretary of State set out in July, to provide stability for schools through the transition to the national funding formula, local authorities will continue to set their own local formulae which will determine individual schools’ budgets in their areas, in 2018-19 and 2019-20, in consultation with local schools.

Poaching

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that schools pass onto students information on the environmental effect of poaching and of the illegal trade in ivory.

Nick Gibb: All schools are required to teach a balanced and broadly based curriculum that promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils, and prepares them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. Teachers in all schools are therefore free to discuss environmental topics such as poaching and the ivory trade.The National Curriculum is compulsory in maintained schools, and academies and free schools can use it as a benchmark. The science national curriculum includes references to animals and their environment, and provides opportunities to teach about positive and negative human impact on these.

Schools: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which schools will receive funding from the minimum per pupil funding level funding factor under the national funding formula; and how much funding each school will receive.

Nick Gibb: The table in the attachment provides a list of all schools that attract funding through the minimum per pupil factor, which ensures that secondary schools will attract at least £4,800 per pupil, and primary schools £3,500 per pupil by 2019-20, under the national funding formula. The table also shows how much additional funding, each school attracts through this factor. The table is calculated as if the national funding formula had been implemented in full in 2017-18, with no transitional arrangements. The figures are based on financial year 2017-18 Authority Proforma Tool data for local authority maintained schools and on academic year 2017-18 General Annual Grant data for academies and free schools.



funding_attachment
(Excel SpreadSheet, 114.87 KB)

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many childcare providers which are run by local authorities (a) are and (b) are not participating in the scheme for 30 free hours of childcare.

Mr Robert Goodwill: It is the responsibility of local authorities to secure sufficient childcare for parents in their local areas and they are working closely with their providers to ensure eligible parents are able to access a 30 hours place. The Department continues to provide ongoing support to local authorities and providers delivering 30 hours.Our recently published independent evaluation of the early rollout programme shows that over 80% of providers were willing and able to offer 30 hours places.The full report is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-rollout-of-30-hours-free-childcare-evaluation.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many childcare providers have made representations to her Department with concerns about the 30 free hours of childcare policy.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department for Education has engaged extensively with childcare providers during the design and roll out 30 hours free childcare, and continues to do so.Our recently published independent evaluation report of the early rollout programme shows that over 80% of providers were willing and able to offer the extended hours places and there was no evidence that financial implications were a substantial barrier to the delivery of the extended hours. The full report is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-rollout-of-30-hours-free-childcare-evaluation.The Department recognises that some childcare providers have faced challenges in delivering 30 hours and we are working with the sector to ensure that the policy works for parents, children and providers.

Children: Swimming

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2017 to Question 9813, on children: swimming, if she will consider the merits of collecting data on how many children achieve the target of using a range of swimming strokes effectively.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2017 to Question 9798, on children: swimming, if she will consider the merits of collecting data on the proportion of children unable to achieve all three of the Swimming and Water Safety components.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2017 to Question 9799, on children: swimming, if she will consider the merits of collecting information on the number of children able to achieve the target of performing safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2017 to Question 9800, on children: swimming, if she will consider the merits of collecting information on the number of children able to achieve the target of swimming competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres.

Mr Robert Goodwill: As part of the Sports Strategy, the government established the Curriculum Swimming and Water Safety Review Group to provide recommendations on how we can help ensure that no young person leaves school unable to swim.The group has now published its report, and we are considering our response.

Grammar Schools: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the National funding formula tables for schools and high needs, published on 14 September 2017, how much of the additional £1.3 billion in the core schools budget previously announced to the House in her Oral statement of 17 July 2017, column 563 will be allocated to selective state schools in (a) 2018-19 and (b) 2019-20 under the national funding formula.

Nick Gibb: The additional £1.3 billion that we are investing in schools across 2018-19 and 2019-20 means that core funding for schools and high needs will rise from almost £41 billion in 2017-18 to £42.4 billion in 2018-19, and £43.5 billion in 2019-20. This overall total of schools and high needs funding will be allocated to local authorities according to the schools and high needs national funding formula respectively. The additional £1.3 billion will be allocated to local authorities as part of, and in the same way as, the rest of the core funding. We have now announced details of the new national funding formula, meaning that from April 2018 funding will finally be allocated on a fair and transparent basis for schools in England. Full details of schools’ allocations are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-tables-for-schools-and-high-needs.There is no distinction made in the formula between different types of school; selective schools will be allocated funding on the same basis as all other schools.

Schools: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her oral statement of 14 September 2017 on school: national funding formula, what the evidential basis is for defining schools as underfunded.

Nick Gibb: We have considered carefully all the responses to the consultation. The final formula we have now announced is the result of that process. A summary of the responses to the consultation, and how they have been taken into account in the final formula, is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/schools-national-funding-formula-stage-2. The importance of ensuring stability for all schools was a consistent message through the consultation. As a consequence, we are ensuring that all schools, and all areas, will attract additional funding over the next two years, while providing for up to 6% gains, per pupil, for underfunded schools by 2019-20 – and more for some of the lowest funded. We believe that this balance of fairness and stability is the best way to distribute funding to local authorities for their most vulnerable children and young people.

Schools: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, further to her oral statement of 14 September 2017 on schools: national funding formula, how much of the £1.3 billion being spent on the core schools budget will go to each local authority in England in (a) 2018-19 and (b) 2019-20.

Nick Gibb: The additional £1.3 billion that we are investing in schools across 2018-19 and 2019-20 means that core funding for schools and high needs will rise from almost £41 billion in 2017-18 to £42.4 billion in 2018-19, and £43.5 billion in 2019-20. This overall total of schools and high needs funding will be allocated to local authorities according to the schools and high needs national funding formulae respectively. The additional £1.3 billion will be allocated to local authorities as part of, and in the same way as, the rest of the core funding.Full details on the provisional allocations for local authorities and schools can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-tables-for-schools-and-high-needs. The ‘NFF summary table’ sets out the combined effect of the schools, high needs and central schools services formulae at local authority level.

Schools: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her Oral Statement of 14 September 2017 on schools: national funding formula, which (a) local authorities and (b) schools have been defined as having been underfunded.

Nick Gibb: We have published the full detail of the school and high needs national funding formulae, and the impact they will have for every local authority. We have published notional school level allocations showing what additional funding each school and each local authority would attract through the formula. Underfunded schools and local authorites will be able to gain up to 3%, per pupil, in each of 2018-19 and 2019-20. Further details of the formulae can be found online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-for-schools-and-high-needs.

Schools: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2017 to Question 5930, on schools: finance, which programmes she plans to reduce funding from in order to realise savings of £105 million from unallocated departmental capital.

Nick Gibb: As my Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, set out in her oral statement of 17 July 2017, the Government will be investing an additional £1.3 billion in core schools funding. As part of this, she announced that the Department will make savings from the overall capital budget. She outlined £315 million of savings from healthy pupils capital and a further £105 million from unallocated Departmental capital. The £105 million is from our 2017-18 capital budget which was not allocated to a particular project, and has now been repurposed to the National Funding Formula.

Private Education: Charities

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on the charitable status of private schools.

Anne Milton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on 06 July 2017 to Question 1921.http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2017-06-29/1921/

Universities: Admissions

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people with a criminal record applied for a university place in the UK in each of the last three years for which data is available.

Joseph Johnson: Information on the number of people with a criminal record applying to university is not held centrally.

Church Commissioners

Martin Luther

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what events and activities the Diocese of Blackburn is undertaking to mark the Quincentenary of the nailing of Ninety-five Theses by Martin Luther on the door of All Saints' Church, Wittenberg, on 31 October 1517.

Dame Caroline Spelman: Church of England dioceses are marking the 500th Anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation in Europe and parishes are being encourage to commemorate the anniversary in a variety of ways. For example in my own parish of Knowle, a sermon series will be held. Information on some of the main events being run across the Church can be seen here: https://www.churchofengland.org/about-us/work-other-churches/reformation-anniversary.aspxAt Westminster Abbey on 31st October at noon there will be a service to mark the Anniversary led by the Dean of Westminster, with an Address given by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Among those attending will be representatives of Lutheran churches in the United Kingdom.Blackburn Diocese is planning two large scale events. The first is to be hosted by the local Churches Together network at Blackburn Cathedral on Thursday 19th October at 2pm. More information is at: https://www.blackburn.anglican.org/events/67/reformation-500-service-at-cathedral The Diocese is also holding a discussion evening with the Bishop of Burnley at Whalley Abbey on Monday 30th October, 7pm.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Pay

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many of his Department's staff had a pay increase (a) above, (b) at and (c) less than one per cent in each of the last three years for which information is available.

George Eustice: The table below shows the number of staff in the core-Department who received a consolidated pay increase at (a) above, (b) at and (c) less than one per cent in each of the last three years.  201620152014Above 1%7729851069At 1%1911512Below 1%10361168501

European Maritime and Fisheries Fund

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much his Department expects the UK to receive from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund in each year until 2022.

George Eustice: The UK was allocated €243 million in the current programme for the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, with €45 million for enforcement, €52 million for data collection, €19 million for aquaculture and €127 million for other investments. In October 2016, the Government confirmed that EMFF projects, signed before we leave the EU and which continue after we have left, will be guaranteed.

Drinks: Plastics

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage retailers and food outlets to eliminate the use of plastic straws.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to promote the use of drinking straws made from non-polluting materials.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The impact of single-use plastics is a critical concern for Defra and I have praised outlets that have switched to using plant based drinking straws and those that have stopped automatically providing straws. The extent of single-use plastics needs to be addressed and options for engagement with key stakeholders are being drawn up, for example in relation to developing a renewed strategy on waste and resources that looks ahead at opportunities outside the EU. These will include discussions with leading retailers.

Pollinators

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to page 32 of the National Pollinator Strategy, published by his Department in November 2014, what interim measurements of progress against the aims of that strategy have so far been made.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The National Pollinator Strategy was launched in November 2014 and included commitments on measuring progress by developing an indicator on the status of pollinators and by evaluating Nature Improvement Areas (NIAs) and agri-environment schemes. Defra has developed an indicator of the status of pollinating insects in partnership with the research community and the voluntary sector. The indicator was first published in 2014 and integrated into the suite of 24 indicators used to track progress with Biodiversity 2020: our Strategy for England’s Wildlife and Ecosystem Services. The indicator summarises trends for almost 400 pollinating insect species and was last published on 3 August (www.gov.uk/government/statistics/england-biodiversity-indicators). It shows that the overall status of pollinating insects has declined since 1980. There are, however, early indications that this trend may have stabilised in recent years. We will continue to take action for pollinators as set out in our Pollinator Strategy and encourage others to do the same through our Bees’ Needs campaign. The monitoring and evaluation framework for NIAs was updated in 2014 and included two voluntary indicators on population of threatened or widespread species, including a number of pollinating insects. A report on monitoring and evaluation of NIAs was published in 2015 (www.gov.uk/government/publications/nature-improvement-areas-improved-ecological-networks/nature-improvement-areas-about-the-programme). This found no significant change in any of the species indicators in the NIAs over the short period involved. Collectively, however, the 12 NIAs secured beneficial management on over 13,500 ha of important wildlife habitats and put in place action to create 4,500 ha of new habitats, primarily species rich grasslands and heathland which will provide important sources of pollen and nectar for pollinating insects. For agri-environment schemes, Natural England has a contract in place with the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and the British Trust for Ornithology to provide a landscape-scale evaluation of the impact of Countryside Stewardship in England on mobile species, including pollinators. Initial findings are expected in 2018. Since 2015, we have initiated a pollinator monitoring and research partnership with the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, to strengthen pollinator monitoring across Great Britain and improve our capacity to understand trends in pollination services. Details of the partnership are available on the external Centre for Ecology and Hydrology website.

European Maritime and Fisheries Fund

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will guarantee to match funding from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund from the point at which the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: The government announced in October 2016 the guarantee for European Structural and Investment Fund projects. This guarantee includes the EMFF and will provide certainty to those fishers, seafood businesses and other organisations seeking EU support whose projects are in line with domestic strategic priorities and deliver good value for money. Where projects secure EMFF funding before we exit, payments will be guaranteed even after the UK has left the EU. Arrangements beyond that point are still to be determined.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Devolution

Stephen Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the dates were of the most recent meetings between Ministers from his Department and their counterparts in the devolved administrations; and what the dates are of the next planned meetings.

George Eustice: There has been extensive engagement at ministerial and official level between Defra and the devolved administrations (DAs). The Secretary of State made it a priority to engage with Scottish and Welsh Government counterparts by making phone calls during his first week of office. This summer, the Secretary of State meet with the Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary, Fergus Ewing, at the Royal Highland Show on 22nd June, and the Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary, Lesley Griffiths, at the Royal Welsh Show on 24th July. The Secretary of State also met with the Permanent Secretary in Northern Ireland’s Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) at the Antrim Show on 22nd July. Minister Therese Coffey met with Fergus Ewing MSP during a forestry visit to Scotland on 27th June. The Secretary of State met ministerial counterparts in the Welsh and Scottish Governments, along with a senior official from DAERA (NIE), on 25th September for on-going discussions on the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. The next meeting is currently being planned for the end of October.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Redundancy

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) men and (b) women have left his Department under exit schemes since 31 March 2016.

George Eustice: I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given on 20 September 2017, PQ UIN10048.

Hen Harriers: Tagging

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish all the satellite tracking data of electronically tagged hen harriers collected by Natural England and its predecessor since 2002.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Natural England is currently collating the satellite tracking data on hen harriers from both before and since 2002. Natural England plans to publish the information shortly. There is also an independent analysis of all the satellite tracking data being undertaken, which is due for publication in spring 2018.

Food: Waste

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the (a) Environment Agency and (b) Local Government Association on enforcement of the Food Waste Hierarchy.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: I have recently discussed enforcement of the food waste hierarchy with the Environment Agency. The Agency will continue to promote the recycling of food waste wherever that is possible, advising on the impact of food waste contamination on the collection and treatment of recyclables and, in appropriate cases, enforcing the hierarchy in accordance with its enforcement and sanctions statement and guidance. I have not discussed this issue with the Local Government Association.

Food: Waste Disposal

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of introducing mandatory separate food waste collections in England on carbon reduction potential.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: This Department has recently begun work to assess what the carbon reduction potential is for introducing separate food waste collections in England, but the analysis is not yet complete.

Balloons and Sky Lanterns: Litter

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to bring forward legislative proposals to classify the intentional outdoor release of (a) helium-filled balloons and (b) sky lanterns for commemorative, social or publicity events as acts of littering under current legislation.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: There are no plans to bring forward legislation to classify the intentional outdoor release of helium-filled balloons and sky lanterns as acts of littering. Councils in England already have powers under the 1990 Environmental Protection Act to take an individual to court if they believe them to be guilty of a littering offence or, as an alternative, they may issue a Fixed Penalty Notice.

Pesticides: Health Hazards

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to assess the long-term effect of pesticides residue in food on children's health.

George Eustice: Pesticides are only authorised for use in the UK following a rigorous assessment of the risk to human health. This assessment considers: short-term and long-term risks; risks arising from possible residues in food; and specifically addresses risks to children. If the assessment suggests that there may be risks to health, authorisation is not granted. There is a comprehensive government programme of monitoring of pesticide residues in food to determine whether food available to UK consumers complies with the statutory residue levels and is safe. The results of this monitoring are published following consideration by the Defra Expert Committee on Pesticide Residues in Food.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Brexit

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to his Department's publication Enforcement and dispute resolution - a future partnership paper, Executive Summary, paragraph 4, page 2, published in August 2017, what his definition of direct jurisdiction is.

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to his Department's publication, Enforcement and dispute resolution-a future partnership paper, what his Department's definition is of direct jurisdiction.

Mr Robin Walker: The Prime Minister has been clear that we will bring about the end of the direct jurisdiction of the CJEU in the UK. After withdrawal, the UK will take back control of its laws. The Repeal Bill will end the supremacy of EU law. Our domestic law will once again be supreme. After we leave the EU, Parliament or, where appropriate, the devolved legislatures, will be free to change the law where they decide it is right to do so.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many civil servants of his Department are part of the Government Commercial Function; and how many of those civil servants have been (a) seconded outside of government and (b) seconded in from outside of government since his Department was established.

Mr Steve Baker: The Department for Exiting the European Union does not have an internal commercial team and therefore does not have any Civil Servants in the Department who are part of the Government Commercial Function. The Department uses a commercial shared service function to carry out commercial activity on its behalf. This function is supplied by the Department for International Trade.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Redundancy

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many (a) men and (b) women have left his Department under exit schemes since its creation.

Mr Steve Baker: The Department for Exiting the European Union has not run any exit schemes since its creation.

Charter of Fundamental Rights (EU)

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, for what reason his policy of incorporating EU law into UK law excludes the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.

Mr Robin Walker: The UK has a longstanding tradition of ensuring our rights and liberties are protected domestically and of fulfilling our international human rights obligations. The Charter of Fundamental Rights (the Charter) only applies to Member States when acting within the scope of EU law. The Charter did not create any new rights. Instead it was intended to catalogue the rights that already existed in EU law, and the bill sets out how this underlying law is being converted into UK law at the point we exit the EU. Therefore it is no longer appropriate, nor will it make sense in the context of the UK's exit from the EU, to retain the Charter in UK law.

Brexit

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2017 to Question 8561, what the criteria is for deciding what information, if published, would undermine the ability of the Government to negotiate the best deal for the UK; and which Minister is responsible for making that decision.

Mr Robin Walker: As is usual practice, the Government considers the implications of publishing its analysis, including, where appropriate, looking at a range of relevant factors to decide whether it would harm the Government’s negotiating position. The Government respects the role of Parliament in this process and has committed to keeping both Houses informed throughout. However, the Government also takes seriously its commitment not to publish anything that would undermine its negotiating position. Government publications are based on the principle of collective agreement, and therefore the decision to publish Government material is a collective one.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Cybercrime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 8036, on Department for Work and Pensions: cybercrime, how many and what proportion of contractors have obtained a Government Cyber Essentials certificate; and whether such a certificate is a requirement for delivering work procured by his Department.

Mr Steve Baker: The Government Cyber Essentials Assurance Framework provides organisations with a framework that provides a set of basic security controls for IT systems and an assurance framework that assesses against common cyber threats. It is therefore designed to allow an organisation to achieve certification and does not apply to individuals.The Department for Exiting the European Union uses capabilities provided by other Government Departments and the Memorandum of Understanding between the Department and its OGD supplier stipulates that they must adhere to HMG security practices and certification.Any technology based procurement undertaken by the department must meet HMG policies on Cyber Security and proof is requested as part of the tender process.

Attorney General

Attorney General: Redundancy

Jon Trickett: To ask the Attorney General, how many (a) men and (b) women have left the Law Officers' Departments under exit schemes since 31 March 2016.

Jeremy Wright: The information requested is containing in the following tables, broken down into the different Law Officers' Departments.SFOIndividuals leaving the SFO under exit schemes since 31 March 2016GenderNumberTotal paymentWomen6£281kMen10£324k Attorney General’s Office (AGO), the Government Legal Department (GLD) and Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI)Individuals leaving the AGO, GLD and HMCPSI under exit schemes since 31 March 2016GenderNumberTotal paymentWomenFewer than 5£172,148MenFewer than 5£317,933Since 31 March 2016, there have been 5 or fewer men and 5 or fewer women who have left the Attorney General’s Office (AGO), the Government Legal Department (GLD) and Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) under an early exit scheme.CPSIndividuals leaving the CPS under exit schemes since 31 March 2016GenderNumberTotal paymentWomen18£1,024,651Men6£500,040

Attorney General: Pay

Philip Davies: To ask the Attorney General, how many of the Law Officers Departments' staff had a pay increase (a) above one per cent, (b) at one per cent and (c) less than one per cent in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Jeremy Wright: The information requested is detailed in the following tables. Serious Fraud Office: Pay increase1 Above 1%At 1%Less than 1%20141411464820152913296201630036591 Based on staff in post as at 31 August in each of the past three years. Attorney General’s Office (AGO) Above 1%At 1%Less than 1%20142276201518211201614314 Government Legal Department (GLD) Above 1%At 1%Less than 1%2014659739620158484657820168341051006 Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) Above 1%At 1%Less than 1%20140301201518210201613015Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) YearMore than 1%At 1%Less than 1%2014/151,0383,7431,8812015/161,0753,4451,7602016/176753,0582,182 In relation to the CPS:In each of the three years the average pay awards were limited to up to 1% in line with the government’s framework from which all departments have set their pay arrangements.In relation to the GLD, AGO and HMCPSI:The pay award in 2014 provided all staff with a 1% pay award although a number received part of this as a non-consolidated sum because they were on or near their grade maximum and a small number had a retained contractual entitlement to a specific pay award of more than 1% from a previous department.The 2015 and 2016 pay awards provided staff with a cash sum based on 1% of the average salary for their grade. The outcome provided an award of greater than 1% for those who were at the lower end of their pay range and less than 1% for those at the upper end.GLD also took the opportunity in 2016 to review and update the pay structure for Legal Trainees and Legal Officers, resulting in a higher than 1% award in that year as individual’s moved to the new structure (30 people benefitted in this way).In relation to the SFO:For the 2014 pay award the SFO paid all eligible staff an award of either £350 or 1%. Ineligible staff were those already earning in excess of their pay-band maximum, those staff who were deemed as not effective and those staff who had joined the SFO after 31 January 2014.In 2015, the SFO sought and obtained Treasury and AGO approval to convert 0.5% of the accrued bonus pot to fund increases to base pay for the more junior digital forensic and investigator roles. This was to help with retention and recruitment of staff in those roles which had been identified as a business need. At the same time the SFO introduced a performance pay matrix which allowed for strong performers near to the bottom of their pay-band to receive a larger increase than those in the middle and top of the band. Eligibility criteria were the same as for 2014 – with the cut-off date for new staff being 31 January 2015.In April 2016 the SFO introduced a new pay model, also approved by Treasury and the Attorney General, which created separate specialist pay-bands for corporate, operational and digital staff to again further improve the recruitment/retention position with key operational roles. This allowed for a further significant base pay increases for staff in digital and investigative roles at all grades. The annual pay award in August 2016 followed the same approach as for 2015.

Attorney General: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Attorney General, how many civil servants in the Law Officers' Departments are part of the Government Commercial Function; and how many of those civil servants have been seconded (a) outside Government and (b) in from outside the government in each year since 2012.

Jeremy Wright: Since 2012 there have been no civil servants in the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) who are employed by the Government Commercial Function.The Attorney General’s Office (AGO), the Government Legal Department (GLD), Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) and the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) do not have any staff who are part of the Government Commercial Function.

Wales Office

Wales Office: Buildings

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2017 to Question 8748, on Wales Office: buildings, if he will list the people and organisations from whom that rental income was derived.

Guto Bebb: The Wales Office received rental income from the Welsh Government in 2011-12 and 2012-13, and the Greater London Lieutenancy from 2013-14 to 2016-17.

Wales Office: Redundancy

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many (a) men and (b) women have left his Department under exit schemes since 31 March 2016.

Guto Bebb: No staff working at the Wales Office have left under exit schemes since 31 March 2016.

Wales Office: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many civil servants in his Department are part of the Government Commercial Function; and how many of those civil servants have been seconded (a) outside the Government and (b) in from outside the Government in each year since 2012.

Guto Bebb: There are no staff at the Wales Office who are part of the Government Commercial Function.The Wales Office obtains any commercial expertise required from the Ministry of Justice or Crown Commercial Services.

Wales Office: Pay

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many of his Department's staff had a pay increase (a) above one per cent, (b) at one per cent and (c) less than one per cent in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Guto Bebb: Wales Office staff employed by the Ministry of Justice who have received a pay increase above, at or less than, 1% in the last three years is shown below. Percentage Salary Increase: Wales Office Headcount 201420152016Less than 1%3301%121014Greater than 1%56~Excluded1616*Total363537 ~ Figure omitted to avoid disclosure of totals of 2 or fewer* Figure omitted to ensure other data cannot be derived Data is not available for Wales Office staff employed by organisations theory other than the Ministry of Justice.

Wales Office: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers of his Department have had with the Chief Scientific Adviser in his Department in the last three months.

Alun Cairns: The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales does not have a Chief Scientific Adviser.

Ministry of Justice

Employment Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the amount spent on legal fees relating to challenges to tribunal fees since 2013.

Dominic Raab: Information on the costs incurred in defending all legal proceedings involving challenges to tribunals fees since 2013 is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Courts: Domestic Violence

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that victims of domestic violence or abuse and their alleged perpetrators shall both have legal representation to avoid direct contact in court proceedings.

Dr Phillip Lee: There are already measures in place to prevent the direct cross-examination of victims by the accused in criminal courts. We intend to legislate to give the family courts similar powers.

Rape: Remand in Custody

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the (a) average, (b) shortest and (c) longest length of time was between a defendant being remanded in custody and the court deciding whether to convict in cases of alleged rape under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 where the defendant was remanded in custody in each year since 2009-10; and on how many occasions the defendant was remanded in custody for longer than 182 days.

Dominic Raab: This PQ cannot be answered due to disproportionate costs as the dates of when defendants are in remand or on bail after the case has reached the Crown Court are not available within the timeliness dataset.

Paedophilia: Travel Restrictions

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will introduce legislative proposals to cancel or bar overseas travel by convicted paedophiles from the UK.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Follwoing release from prison into the community on licence, all child sex offenders will be subject to a series of licence conditions. This will include as standard, the requirement to “not travel outside the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man except with the prior permission of your supervising officer or for the purposes of immigration deportation or removal.” Such permission is granted only in the most exceptional circumstances, where the offender meets a strict set of criteria. In addition to the prohibitions in a licence in England and Wales, the Police may also apply to the courts for a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) to prevent a sex offender from travelling overseas where they suspect that the offender could commit an offence while outside of the UK. This SHPO replaced the Foreign Travel Order, introduced by the Sexual Offences Act 2003, which remains in operation in Northern Ireland.

Travellers: Trespass

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps are being taken to ensure Travellers who trespass on property pay for any criminal damages and limit the expense incurred to innocent parties.

Dominic Raab: Causing criminal damage to property is a criminal offence. The court must consider making a compensation order under section 130 of the Powers of the Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 in any case where personal injury, loss or damage has resulted from the offence. It is an operational matter for the police, following advice from the Crown Prosecution Service, to decide whether or not an offence reaches the threshold required for prosecution under the relevant legislation. Property owners may also bring private legal proceedings to recover an award of damages for damage caused to their property by trespassers. It is for individual property owners to decide whether to take legal action of this kind.

Legal Aid Scheme: Advisory Services

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many local authorities currently have (a) no and (b) one legal aid advice provider.

Dominic Raab: The Legal Aid Agency contracts with legal aid advice providers by ‘procurement area’ as opposed to by local authority; a procurement area may include multiple local authorities.

Prison and Probation Service: Recruitment

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much has been spent by HM Prison and Probation Service on recruitment in each month since September 2016.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Period Recruitment costs* (£) September 2016129,357October 2016219,450November 2016301,913December 2016563,028January 2017338,803February 201776,497March 20171,176,080April 20171,109,430May 2017227,939June 2017438,487July 20171,097,571August 20171,181,421 Recruitment costs provided only include spend on advertising and recruitment through external suppliers and does not account for recruitment-associated costs of any HMPPS staff working on resourcing initiatives or any other miscellaneous costs of recruiting staff (this data is not readily available within centrally held records). Figures include advertising costs in respect of recruitment and various media campaigns for prison officers, probation officers and the Unlocked Graduates scheme. *The figure provided has been drawn from our central accounting system and although care is taken when processing data, this may be subject to the inaccuracies and input errors inherent in any large scale recording system.

Criminal Proceedings

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will introduce a system for financial checks to be carried out on means forms filled out by offenders in criminal courts which are used to determine the level of fines and the contribution that should be made to the costs of the case.

Dominic Raab: The criminal courts already have powers to make further checks if the court is not satisfied with the means information supplied by the defendant.

Prisons: Crimes Against the Person

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much has been paid to (a) staff and (b) prisoners in compensation following an assault in each financial year from 2009-10.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Justice: Pay

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many of his Department's staff had a pay increase (a) above, (b) at and (c) less than one per cent in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Dr Phillip Lee: The number of Ministry of Justice (MoJ) staff, excluding staff in HM Prison and Probation Services (HMPPS) who have received a pay increase of either above, at or less than 1% between 31/08/2015 – 31/08/2016 is shown in table 1 below. Table 2 provides information for HMPPS staff and table 3 shows information relating to the National Probation Service as at 31/03/2016.Table 1 - Increase in basic salary between 31/08/2015 and 31/08/2016 for MoJ HeadcountLess than 1%7341% increase17,701Greater than 1%509Excluded3,357Total22,301 Table 2 - Increase in basic salary of HMPPS staff as at 31/03/2016  Headcount% of totalNo increase18,98853Less than 1%74721% increase4,71413Greater than 1%11,17431Total35,623100 Table 3 - Increase in basic salary of National Probation Services (NPS) staff as at 31/03/2016  Headcount% of totalAt or above maximum of pay scale (less than 1%)2,06321Below maximum (1% increase)7,66579Non-Standard or unknown NPS grade130Total9,741100 To collate a response for the other years requested would exceed the cost limit

Debt Collection: Arrest Warrants

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether more than one debt enforcement company can provide the warrants of arrest function in an individual case.

Dominic Raab: HMCTS can only allocate a warrant of arrest to one Approved Enforcement Agency, AEA, to execute. In the event that AEA is unable to execute the warrant there is provision to reallocate to another AEA.

Dangerous Driving

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to publish the results of the consultation into offences of causing death or serious injury by dangerous driving; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: The consultation on driving offences and penalties issued by the previous government closed on 1 February 2017. I intend to make an announcement in due course.

Debt Collection: Arrest Warrants

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment the Government has made of the ability of debt enforcement companies to fulfil the new warrants of arrest function that is being outsourced.

Dominic Raab: Existing HMCTS contracts with Approved Enforcement Agencies (AEA) already make provision for AEAs to execute certain categories of arrest warrants. A procurement process is currently underway which will result in the establishment of new AEA contracts. That procurement process is also exploring the potential to further extend the volume of arrest warrants executed by AEAs. HMCTS will fully evaluate all proposals submitted by potential AEAs as part of the bidding process before making a final decision on this.

Ministry of Justice: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many civil servants in his Department are part of the Government Commercial Function; and how many of those civil servants have been seconded (a) outside the Government and (b) in from outside the Government in each year since 2012.

Dr Phillip Lee: On 1 April 2017, 13 members of staff from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) left the Department to join the Government Commercial Organisation (GCO), which is part of the Cabinet Office. No members of staff were seconded outside the Government or in to Government. Prior to this date, no MoJ staff were part of the GCO.The Government Commercial Function (GCF) is a cross-government network of around 4,000 civil servants procuring (or supporting the procurement of) goods and services for the Government. It also consists of commercial experts who support Departments in managing key commercial contracts, and planning for future commercial needs.The GCO is formed of the 400 most senior specialists. They continue to sit within Government Departments, working on commercial contracts within those Departments, but they are available to be deployed across Government to support the most critical contracts.

Personal Independence Payment: Scotland

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average waiting time is for an appeal against a mandatory reconsideration of a decision on personal independence payments in (a) Inverclyde and (b) Scotland for the last four periods for which figures are available.

Dominic Raab: The information requested is set out in the table below.The average time (weeks) from receipt in HM Courts & Tribunals Service to outcome for Personal Independence Payment (PIP)1 Appeals2Year3Greenock venue4Scotland2014/1512122015/1614142016/171513Qtr 1 2017/181915 Notes1 PIP (New Claim Appeals), which replaced Disability Living Allowance (DLA), from 8 April 2013, also includes Personal Independence Claims (Reassessments).2 Appeals includes those cleared with and without a tribunal hearing. They may include time spent at the Upper Tribunal.3 Full financial years April to March; Quarter 1 April to June 2017.4 Data on SSCS cases are attributed to the hearing venue nearest to the appellant’s home address. For those living in Inverclyde this is the Greenock Venue Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system and are the best data that are available.

County Courts: Judgements

Peter Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to help individuals or companies correct County Court records which wrongly indicate that they have a judgment against them without incurring costs.

Dominic Raab: If an individual or company believes that a County Court judgment has been wrongly made against them, they can apply to the court to have the judgment set aside. The Civil Procedure Rules govern court processes and Part 13 sets out the procedure for setting aside or varying a judgment which was entered without a court hearing. An application to set aside a County Court Judgment attracts a fee. Help with paying fees is available to individuals under the Help with Fees scheme. Those who qualify may have their fees remitted in part or in full, depending on their financial means. If the application is successful, the defendant can also apply to the court to recover his or her costs including any court fees incurred.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the main reasons have been for changes in waiting times for personal independent payment tribunals.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average waiting time for personal independence payment tribunals in Vale of Clwyd constituency was in each of the last four years.

Dominic Raab: The volume of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) appeals made to the Tribunal has built up since it was introduced as a new benefit in 2013. As the number, and age, of appeals lodged increased so has the average waiting time. Waiting times generally can fluctuate temporarily and geographically, owing to a number of variable factors, including volumes of benefit decisions made locally, availability of medical/disability members, and venue capacity. Any disparity in waiting times is monitored and investigated locally. HMCTS has been working with the Tribunal judiciary to identify initiatives with potential to increase the capacity and performance of the Tribunal, including reviewing current listing practices to increase the number of PIP cases being able to be listed on a session. We are also in the process of recruiting over 350 judicial officer holders to provide long term capacity in the Tribunal. The average waiting time for PIP appeals in each of the last four years, in the Vale of Clwyd constituency, is set out in the table below. The average time (weeks) from receipt in HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) to outcome for PIP1 Appeals 2Year3Vale of Clwyd42014/15142015/16152016/1722Qtr 1 2017/1833 Notes 1 PIP (New Claim Appeals), which replaced Disability Living Allowance from 8 April 2013, also includes Personal Independence Claims (Reassessments). 2 Appeals includes those cleared with and without a tribunal hearing. They may include time spent at the upper tribunal. 3 Full Financial year to date; Quarter 1 April – June 2017. 4 Data on SSCS cases are attributed to the hearing venue nearest to the appellant’s home address. For those living in Vale of Clwyd these are the Prestatyn and Llandudno venues. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system and are the best data available.

Prisons: Iron and Steel

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the value of British steel to be used in the prisons building programme.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Government is investing £1.3 billion to build up to 10,000 new adult prison places. The design phase of this programme is at an early stage and it is not possible to provide an estimate at this point. Our procurement activities will follow Government guidance to ensure we take full account of the value provided by UK steel producers.

Employment Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to reimburse people who have paid employment tribunal fees.

Dominic Raab: We confirmed following the handing down of the Supreme Court’s judgment in the case of R (Unison) v the Lord Chancellor, that we would put in place arrangements to refund those people who had paid fees in the Employment Tribunals as soon as possible.We will announce the detailed arrangements shortly.

Prison and Probation Service: Recruitment

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much has been spent by HM Prison and Probation Service on recruitment in each month since September 2016.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Period Recruitment costs* (£) September 2016129,357October 2016219,450November 2016301,913December 2016563,028January 2017338,803February 201776,497March 20171,176,080April 20171,109,430May 2017227,939June 2017438,487July 20171,097,571August 20171,181,421 Recruitment costs provided only include spend on advertising and recruitment through external suppliers and does not account for recruitment-associated costs of any HMPPS staff working on resourcing initiatives or any other miscellaneous costs of recruiting staff (this data is not readily available within centrally held records). Figures include advertising costs in respect of recruitment and various media campaigns for prison officers, probation officers and the Unlocked Graduates scheme. *The figure provided has been drawn from our central accounting system and although care is taken when processing data, this may be subject to the inaccuracies and input errors inherent in any large scale recording system.

Community Rehabilitation Companies: Staff

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff are employed under each community rehabilitation company contract; and how many staff were employed under each contract when it began operating.

Mr Sam Gyimah: When Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) were under public ownership (from 1 June 2014 to 31 January 2015), we published workforce information on a quarterly basis. The final iteration of these statistics was published on 31 December 2014 and can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/community-rehabilitation-companies-workforce-information-report-quarter-3-2014-to-2015.Contracts with CRCs require each CRC to ensure that it employs a sufficient level of staff, and that its workforce is competent and adequately trained. We closely monitor and robustly manage providers to make sure they fulfil their contractual commitments to reduce reoffending, protect the public and provide value for money to the taxpayer.

Community Rehabilitation Companies: Compensation

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Service Credits each community rehabilitation company has had to pay in compensation for the minimum level of loss or damage as a result of a reduced provision of services.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We hold providers rigorously to account for their performance and take proportional action wherever they are falling short. Our contract management teams closely monitor and robustly manage providers to make sure they fulfil their contractual commitments to maintain service delivery, reduce reoffending, protect the public and provide value for money to the taxpayer. However, we cannot release the exact number of Service Credits each Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) has had to pay as it is commercially sensitive information. Service Credits can be applied when providers do not meet the required standards. Service Credits are a payment made by the CRC back to the Government, as a means of compensating for services under the contract where the CRC fails to meet the contractual service levels expected.

Berwyn Prison: Iron and Steel

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much and what proportion of steel used in the construction of HM Prison Berwyn was sourced from British (a) manufacturers and (b) suppliers.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Government is investing £1.3 billion to build up to 10,000 new adult prison places. The design and construction of HM Prison Berwyn forms part of the overall Prison Estates Transformation Programme. Approximately 2500 tonnes of structural steel has been used in the construction of HMP Berwyn: 100% of this steel has been sourced from British suppliers and manufacturers. Our procurement activities follow Government guidance to ensure we take full account of the value provided by UK steel producers.

Prison Officers: Recruitment

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers his Department plans to recruit in each of the next three years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: As part of the Prison Safety and Reform White Paper published in November 2016, the Government committed to an increase of 2,500 prison officers by the end of 2018. Between the end of October 2016 and the end of June 2017, there has been a net increase of 800 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) Band 3 to 5 prison officers. Therefore by the end of 2018 the Government plans to increase prison officer numbers by a further (net) 1,700 FTE officersBeyond this date recruitment requirements will depend on operational staffing requirements, future prison estate changes and any future changes to Prison Officer leaving rates.

Coroners: Translation Services

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much the UK Coroners Service spent on translation services in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Phillip Lee: This information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Family Courts: Perjury

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) men and (b) women were prosecuted for perjury in the family court in 2016.

Dominic Raab: 10 men and 6 women were prosecuted for perjury in the family court in England and Wales in 2016. This information was obtained from a manual review of court case files that centrally held data indicated may be relevant, and as such has not been through the same quality assurance processes as for routinely published data. These figures relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.

Young Offenders: Convictions

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people under the age of 18 were convicted of a criminal offence in (a) 2014, (b) 2015 and (c) 2016 in the UK.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people under the age of 18 were convicted of a criminal offence in (a) 2014, (b) 2015 and (c) 2016 in Wales.

Dr Phillip Lee: The number of persons under the age of 18 years found guilty at all courts in England and Wales from 2014 to 2016 can be viewed in the table below. Juvenile (1) offenders found guilty at all courts of all offences in England and Wales, 2014 to 2016(2)(3)EnglandWalesEngland and Wales20142015201620142015201620142015201629,76927,11224,795 1,7411,6851,492 31,51028,79726,287(1) defined as those under the age of 18(2) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.(3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.Statistics for the whole of the United Kingdom are not available. Justice is devolved in Scotland and Northern Ireland and those statistics are matters for the devolved administrations.

Young Offenders: Criminal Records

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he will implement the recommendations of the Carlile and Lammy reviews to seal youth criminal records.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Government will be considering carefully all the recommendations made by David Lammy in his report on the treatment and outcomes for BAME individuals in the criminal justice system and will respond in due course.